Famous People Who Died In 2008

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Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 2008. This list includes people like Heath Ledger, Paul Newman, Bernie Mac, Michael Crichton, George Carlin and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include journalists, political leaders, poets and directors who died in 2008. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom, India & France and many more countries.
Vote for Your Favourite People Who Died In 2008
 1 
Heath Ledger
(Australian Actor Best Known for His Role as ‘The Joker’ in the Film ‘The Dark Knight’)
Heath Ledger
128
Birthdate: April 4, 1979
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Perth, Australia
Died: January 22
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 2 
Paul Newman
(One of the Most Influential Actors of 20th-Century)
Paul Newman
96
Birthdate: January 26, 1925
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Shaker Heights, Ohio, United States
Died: September 26
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 3 
George Carlin
(One of the Most Important and Influential Stand-Up Comedians of All Time)
George Carlin
15
Birthdate: May 12, 1937
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States
Died: June 22
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 4 
Bernie Mac
(Actor and Comedian Known for His TV Series ‘The Bernie Mac Show’)
Bernie Mac
20
Listed In: Actors
Birthdate: October 5, 1957
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: August 9
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 5 
Estelle Getty
(Actress and Comedian Known for Her Role as ‘Sophia Petrillo’ in the TV Series ‘The Golden Girls’)
Estelle Getty
25
Birthdate: July 25, 1923
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States
Died: July 22
Height: 4'11" (150 cm)
 6 
Bobby Fischer
(American Chess Grandmaster and the Eleventh World Chess Champion)
Bobby Fischer
58
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: March 9, 1943
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: January 17
 7 
Edmund Hillary
(One of the First Climbers to Have Reached the Summit of Mount Everest)
Edmund Hillary
38
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: July 20, 1919
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Auckland, New Zealand
Died: January 11
 8 
Charlton Heston
(Actor and Political Activist )
Charlton Heston
30
Listed In: Activists
Birthdate: October 4, 1923
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Evanston, Illinois, United States
Died: April 5
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 9 
Suzanne Pleshette
(Best Known for Her Role as ‘Emily Hartley’ in the TV Series ‘The Bob Newhart Show’)
Suzanne Pleshette
14
Birthdate: January 31, 1937
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Brooklyn Heights, New York, United States
Died: January 19
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
 10 
Roy Scheider
(One of the Most Unique and Distinguished of all Hollywood Actors)
Roy Scheider
8
Birthdate: November 10, 1932
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: City of Orange, New Jersey, United States
Died: February 10
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 11 
Eartha Kitt
(Singer with a Distinctive Voice Known for her Hits "Let's Do It", and "C'est si bon")
Eartha Kitt
36
Birthdate: January 17, 1927
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: North, South Carolina, United States
Died: December 25
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
 12 
Michael Crichton
(Best Known as the Author of “Jurassic Park” and the creator of the TV Drama “ER”)
Michael Crichton
5
Birthdate: October 23, 1942
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: November 4
Height: 6'9" (206 cm)
 13 
Jeff Healey
(Singer)
Jeff Healey
24
Listed In: Singers
Birthdate: March 25, 1966
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Toronto
Died: March 2
 14 
Isaac Hayes
(Singer-songwriter)
Isaac Hayes
12
Listed In: Singers
Birthdate: August 20, 1942
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Covington, Tennessee, United States
Died: August 10
 15 
David Foster Wallace
23
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: February 21, 1962
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Ithaca, New York, United States
Died: September 12
 16 
Yves Saint Laurent
(French Fashion Designer and Founder of His Eponymous Fashion Label)
Yves Saint Laurent
9
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: August 1, 1936
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Oran, Algeria
Died: June 1
 17 
Harvey Korman
(Actor and Comedian Known for His Sketch Comedy Series 'The Carol Burnett Show')
Harvey Korman
6
Birthdate: February 15, 1927
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: May 29
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 18 
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
(Novelist & Writer Best Known for His Work 'The Gulag Archipelago')
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
9
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: December 11, 1918
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kislovodsk, Russia
Died: August 3
 19 
Richard Wright (Musician)
(One of the Founders of the Progressive Rock Band ‘Pink Floyd’)
Richard Wright (Musician)
3
Listed In: Singers
Birthdate: July 28, 1943
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Hatch End, Middlesex, England
Died: September 15
 20 
Majel Barrett
(Actress)
Majel Barrett
4
Birthdate: February 23, 1932
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
Died: December 18
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 21 
Jerry Reed
(Singer-songwriter, Musician)
Jerry Reed
12
Birthdate: March 20, 1937
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Died: September 1
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 22 
Bettie Page
(American Model who Gained Notoriety in the 1950s for her Pin-Up Photos)
Bettie Page
13
Listed In: Fashion
Birthdate: April 22, 1923
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Nashville, Tennessee, US
Died: December 11
 23 
Irena Sendler
(Polish Humanitarian & Social Worker)
Irena Sendler
13
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: February 15, 1910
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
Died: May 12
 24 
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke
(Science-Fiction Writer Known for His Novels: ‘Childhood's End’, ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and ‘Rendezvous with Rama’)
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke
7
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: December 16, 1917
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Minehead, Somerset, England
Died: March 19
 25 
Sydney Pollack
(Film Director and Producer Best Known for His Movie 'Out of Africa')
Sydney Pollack
8
Birthdate: July 1, 1934
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Lafayette, Indiana, United States
Died: May 26
 26 
Richard Widmark
(Villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death)
Richard Widmark
10
Birthdate: December 26, 1914
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Sunrise Township, Minnesota, United States
Died: March 24
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 27 
Van Johnson
(American Singer, Dancer, Theatre and Radio Actor)
Van Johnson
6
Birthdate: August 25, 1916
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Newport, Rhode Island, United States
Died: December 12
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 28 
Mel Ferrer
(Actor & Director Known for His Films: 'Scaramouche', 'Lili' and 'Knights of the Round Table')
Mel Ferrer
8
Birthdate: August 25, 1917
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Long Branch, New Jersey, United States
Died: June 2
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 29 
Bo Diddley
(Guitarist, Singer, Singer-songwriter, Composer)
Bo Diddley
3
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: December 30, 1928
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: McComb
Died: June 2
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 30 
William F. Buckley, Jr.
(Editor)
William F. Buckley, Jr.
2
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: November 24, 1925
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: February 27
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 31 
Dorothy Vaughan
(American Mathematician, Human Computer and the First African-American to Receive Promotion as Supervisor in NASA)
Dorothy Vaughan
9
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: September 20, 1910
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Died: November 10
 32 
Miriam Makeba
9
Listed In: Activists
Birthdate: March 4, 1932
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Johannesburg, South Africa
Died: November 10
 33 
Albert Hofmann
(The First Person to Synthesize LSD)
Albert Hofmann
5
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: January 11, 1906
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Baden
Died: April 29
 34 
Cyd Charisse
(American Actress and Dancer)
Cyd Charisse
9
Birthdate: March 8, 1922
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Amarillo, Texas, United States
Died: June 17
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 35 
Harold Pinter
(Playwright, Screenwriter)
Harold Pinter
4
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: October 10, 1930
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Metropolitan Borough of Hackney
Died: December 24
 36 
Robert Prosky
(Actor)
Robert Prosky
3
Birthdate: December 13, 1930
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Died: December 8
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 37 
Yma Súmac
(American-Peruvian soprano)
Yma Súmac
2
Listed In: Singers
Birthdate: September 10, 1922
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Cajamarca, Peru
Died: November 1
 38 
Dick Martin
(American comedian)
Dick Martin
2
Birthdate: January 30, 1922
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Battle Creek, Michigan, United States
Died: May 24
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 39 
Lois Nettleton
6
Birthdate: August 16, 1927
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Oak Park, Illinois, United States
Died: January 18
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 40 
Levi Stubbs
(Baritone Singer)
Levi Stubbs
6
Listed In: Singers
Birthdate: June 6, 1936
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, United States
Died: October 17
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 41 
Tim Russert
(Journalist)
Tim Russert
5
Birthdate: May 7, 1950
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Buffalo, New York, USA
Died: June 13
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 42 
Beverly Garland
(Actress)
Beverly Garland
0
Birthdate: October 17, 1926
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Santa Cruz, California, USA
Died: December 5
 43 
Dee Dee Warwick
0
Listed In: Singers
Birthdate: September 25, 1942
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States
Died: October 18
 44 
Brad Renfro
13
Birthdate: July 25, 1982
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
Died: January 15
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
 45 
Paul Benedict
(Actor)
Paul Benedict
6
Birthdate: September 17, 1938
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Silver City, New Mexico, USA
Died: December 1
Height: 6'4" (193 cm)
 46 
Dock Ellis
(Baseball player)
Dock Ellis
5
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: March 11, 1945
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
Died: December 19
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 47 
Randy Pausch
(Educationist)
Randy Pausch
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 23, 1960
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Died: July 25
 48 
Ivan Dixon
(Actor)
Ivan Dixon
2
Birthdate: April 6, 1931
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Died: March 16
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 49 
John List
(American Mass Murderer)
John List
14
Listed In: Criminals
Birthdate: September 17, 1925
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bay City, Michigan, United States
Died: March 21
 50 
Rocky Aoki
(Restaurateur Who Founded the Popular Japanese Cuisine Restaurant Chain 'Benihana')
Rocky Aoki
2
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: October 9, 1938
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
Died: July 10