It is a very human thing, at the end of a year, to stop and take stock. Part of that involves acknowledging that some remarkable people who were here in 2020 will be not joining us in 2021. Today, we take a moment to honor the lives of four of those people. And in marveling at the extraordinary and sometimes vividly ordinary facets of their time among us, we hold a mirror up to the complexities of our own lives. For an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter. You can read the latest edition here. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily