Remembering some of those we lost in 2021, from literary legends to everyday heroes

It started with an insurrection and ended with a new coronavirus variant spreading like wildfire. In between was a year of tremendous loss.

From titans of arts, politics, sports and science to lesser-known people whose lives made an impact, too, here is a roundup of NPR coverage of some of the deaths of people who helped shape our world, in ways both great and small.

Police officers who responded to the Jan. 6 riots

On Jan. 6, hundreds of people broke through police lines and stormed the U.S. Capitol. Five officers who responded to the attacks died in the days and months that followed: Brian Sicknick, Howard Liebengood, Jeffrey Smith, Gunther Hashida and Kyle DeFreytag.

Sicknick collapsed at the Capitol on the night of Jan. 6 and was transported to a hospital where he died the next day. He was 42 and a military veteran who had served in the Capitol Police for 12 years. The medical examiner found that he died of natural causes after suffering strokes. Sicknick received the rare distinction of lying in honor in the Capitol Rotunda.

Howard Liebengood died by suicide three days after responding to the attacks. He was 51 and was a 15-year veteran of the U.S. Capitol Police. About a week after the attacks, Jeffrey Smith, a 12-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police, died by suicide at 35. Later in the year, Metropolitan Police officers Gunther Hashida, 43, and Kyle DeFreytag, 26, also died by suicide.

Brian Sicknick (July 1978-Jan. 7, 2021)
Howard Liebengood (March 1969-Jan. 9, 2021)
Jeffrey Smith (April 1985-Jan. 15, 2021)
Kyle DeFreytag (October 1994-July 10, 2021)
Gunther Hashida (August 1977-July 29, 2021)

Hank Aaron (Feb. 5, 1934-Jan. 22, 2021)

Baseball player, civil rights advocate and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Hank Aaron was 86 when he died. Known as "Hammerin' Hank" and born in segregated Alabama, Aaron started his career with the Milwaukee Braves, broke Babe Ruth's home run record in 1974 — — and went on to before retiring two years later. He inspired people to pursue excellence in their lives and provided grants and scholarships to young people in the 1990s through his philanthropy, Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation. The MLB introduced its award for the best offensive player — the Hank Aaron Award — in 1999, 25 years after he broke Ruth's record.