1 / 16

Those We Lost in 2013 - It’s hard to say goodbye to those who are taken from us, but their legacies must live on. BET.com takes a look at some of the greats who were laid to rest in 2013. — Dominique Zonyéé (@DominiqueZonyee)(Photo: Jon Gambrell/AP Photo)

2 / 16

Lord Infamous - Ricky "Lord Infamous" Dunigan, one of the founders of the Oscar-winning Memphis, Tennessee rap trio Three 6 Mafia died of a heart attack in his mother’s home on Dec.20. Infamous, was known for being a innovative pioneer in the rap industry. He was 40-years-old.(Photo: Black Rain Entertainment)

3 / 16

Nelson Mandela - Nelson Mandela was a rebel, activist, leader and more. He became the first Black president of South Africa in 1994 and leaves a legacy or hope, unity and peace. Mandela died at the age of 95 on Dec. 5 after a long battle with various health-related issues.(Photo: Mike Hutchings/Reuters)

4 / 16

Patti Webster - Patti Webster, one of the most influential and successful publicists, who represented some of the best-known entertainers including Halle Berry, Bow Wow, Steve Harvey, Usher, Chris Paul, Alicia Keys and Janet Jackson, succumbed to her battle with cancer on Sept. 13. Webster was 49.(Photo: W&W Public Relations)

5 / 16

Lee Thompson Young - The former star of Disney's The Famous Jett Jackson and cast member of Rizzoli & Isles was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his Hollywood apartment on Aug. 19 after concerned colleagues urged his landlord to search his apartment when he didn't show up for work. Young was 29 years old.(Photo: Margery Epstein/ WENN)

Photo By Photo: Margery Epstein/ WENN/ Margery Epstein/ WENN

6 / 16

Jacob Matlala - One of Nelson Mandela’s favorite fighters, South African boxer Jacob Matlala died on Dec. 7, just two days after Mandela. Matlala was 51 years old.(Photo: AP Photo)

7 / 16

Ken Norton - Ken Norton, the celebrated boxer and one-time heavyweight champion who later acted in films, died on Sept. 18 at 70. He was ill for several years and suffered a number of strokes.(Photo: AP Photo/File)

8 / 16

Leo Branton - Leo Branton, the lawyer who helped former Black Panther Angela Davis avoid the death penalty in a sensational murder case in 1972, died on April 19. He was 91.(Photo: AP Photo)

Photo By Photo: AP Photo/Robert W. Klein/ AP Photo/Robert W. Klein

9 / 16

Essie Mae Washington - Essie Mae Washington-Williams, who was at the center of a media frenzy in 2003 after revealing she was Sen. Strom Thurmond's secret Black daughter, died of natural causes at the age of 87 on Feb. 4. Thurmond was a segregationist who supported the Jim Crow laws that racially divided the south.(Photo: Stephen Morton/Getty Images)

10 / 16

Chinua Achebe - Many people know him for his internationally acclaimed novel Things Fall Apart, but Chinua Achebe was a pioneer in African literature and helped paved the way for Western acceptance of African authors. Achebe died on March 21 at the age of 82.(Photo: Craig Ruttle/AP Photo, File)

Photo By Craig Ruttle/AP Photo

11 / 16

Hugo Chavez - Former president of Venezuela Hugo Chavez, the fiery populist who declared a socialist revolution in Venezuela, crusaded against U.S. influence and championed a leftist revival across Latin America, died at 58 on March 5. Chavez battled cancer for two years before his death.(Photo: Marcelo Garcia/AP Photo, File/Miraflores Press Office)

12 / 16

Ed Koch - Ed Koch, the former New York City mayor known for his activism and outspokenness, specifically when he rallied New Yorkers to stand up against a transit strike in 1980, passed away from congestive heart failure on Jan. 31. He was 88 years old.(Photo: Joe Cavaretta/AP Photo, File)

13 / 16

Eugene Patterson - Eugene Patterson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who brought discussions on racism to the mainstream media during the civil rights movement, died on Jan. 11. Patterson died of complications from prostate cancer. He was 89.(Photo: AP Photo/The Tampa Bay Times)

14 / 16

Donald Byrd - Legendary jazz musician and composer Donald Byrd was considered one of the pioneers of the progressive jazz funk bop movement in the ‘70s. He died on Feb. 4 at age 80.(Photo: David Redfern / Redferns)

Photo By Photo: David Redfern / Redferns

15 / 16

Harry F. Byrd - A former Senator from Virginia, Harry F. Byrd helped establish laws that were designed to deprive African-Americans of full citizenship. He died on July 30 in Virginia at his home. He was 98.(Photo: Getty Images/Getty Images)

16 / 16

Robert Chew - Baltimore native and actor Robert Chew, known for his role as Proposition Joe on HBO’s hit series The Wire, died in his sleep on Jan. 17 of heart failure. Chew was 52 years old.(Photo: HBO)