The legendary broadcaster, who broke barriers for women in news as the first female co-host of the Today Show and created The View, died at age 93 on Dec. 30 at her home in New York. Commemorations for Walters’ groundbreaking spirit and cultural contributions flooded in from both celebrities and other journalists.

The Pope emeritus, who served as pope from 2005 until 2013 until he stepped away from the position due to health reasons (becoming the first pope to resign from his position since Gregory XII in 1415) died at age 95 on Dec. 31.

“To love the church also means having the courage to take difficult decisions,” he said at the time of his resignation. He continued to serve in a reduced clerical role until recent health issues caused him to retreat from the public eye.

The three-time World Cup champion had been undergoing treatment for colon cancer since September 2021, when he had a tumor removed from his large intestine.

“Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today,” a message on his Instagram page read Thursday. “On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: love.

“His message today becomes a legacy for future generations,” it continued. “Love, love and love, forever.”

Pelé is survived by his six children and his wife, businesswoman Marcia Cibele Aoki.

Cheers and Drop Dead Gorgeous star Kirstie Alley succumbed to colon cancer on Dec. 5. She was 71.

“We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered,” Alley’s children True and Lillie confirmed to PEOPLE.

Former Cheers costars Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer and Rhea Perlman all paid tribute to the Emmy and Golden Globe award winning actress.

“I was on a plane today and did something I rarely do,” Danson said in a statement to PEOPLE. “I watched an old episode of Cheers. It was the episode where Tom Berenger proposes to Kirstie, who keeps saying no, even though she desperately wants to say yes,” the actor revealed. “Kirstie was truly brilliant in it. Her ability to play a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown was both moving and hysterically funny.”

For his part, Grammer kept his tribute short and sweet telling PEOPLE, “​​I always believed grief for a public figure is a private matter, but I will say I loved her.”

“Kirstie was a unique and wonderful person and friend,” Pelman said in her statement. “Her joy of being was boundless. We became friends almost instantly when she joined the cast of Cheers. She loved kids and my kids loved her too. We had sleepovers at her house, with treasure hunts that she created.”

According to TMZ, tWitch’s wife, Allison Holker Boss, ran into an LAPD station distraught because her husband left their home without a car and had been unreachable. Shortly thereafter, paramedics received a phone call from an L.A. hotel where they found the beloved dancer dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us,” Holker Boss confirmed to PEOPLE.

“Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans.”

Ellen Degeneres, who had remained friends with Boss since he taught her a routine for the season 8 premiere of The Ellen Degeneres Show, also paid her respects on social media.

“Right now what I want to do is remember all the love and laughter I had with tWitch,” the comedian posted on her Instagram page. “He brought so much joy to my life. I know he brought joy to yours too. I’m going to be sharing some of my favorite moments with him. If you want to you can also share yours. #ILovetWitch.”

Actress, model, singer and mother to the legendary Cher, Georgia Holt, passed away on Dec. 11. She was 96.

The “Believe” singer let her fans know of the sad news through a simple tweet that read, “Mom’s gone” accompanied by a sad face emoji.

Holt’s passing came three months after Cher revealed she had previously been hospitalized for pneumonia. “Sorry I’ve Been Mia. Mom’s Been Sick Off & On. She Just Got Out Of Hosp. She Had Pneumonia,” the singer wrote at the time.

Soccer journalist Grant Wahl collapsed while attending the Argentina vs. Netherlands match during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Dec. 10. He was 48.

Though the cause of death was initially unknown, his brother Eric Wahl suspected foul play. While in Qatar, Grant had extensively covered the issue of migrant deaths at the FIFA World Cup, and earlier in the tournament was detained for wearing a rainbow shirt into a match.

“My name is Eric Wahl. I live in Seattle, Washington. I am Grant Wahl’s brother. I am gay, I am the reason he wore the rainbow shirt to the World Cup,” Eric revealed on Instagram. “My brother was healthy, he told me he received death threats. I do not believe my brother just died. I believe he was killed, and I just beg for any help.”

However, several days later, it was revealed the award-winning journalist suffered from an aortic aneurysm.

“Grant died from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium,” Grant’s wife Dr. Céline Gounder wrote on his Substack. “The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms. No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him.”

She clarified, “His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status. There was nothing nefarious about his death.”