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In the year 2008
809 Notable deaths
Heath Ledger
Australian actor (1979–2008).
Born April 4th, 1979 in Perth.
Died January 22nd, 2008 at 28 years old in Manhattan (poisoning by drugs). [ref]
Paul Newman
American actor (1925–2008).
Born January 26th, 1925 in Shaker Heights.
Died September 26th, 2008 at 83 years old in Westport (lung cancer). [ref]
Bobby Fischer
American chess player (1943–2008).
Born March 9th, 1943 in Chicago.
Died January 17th, 2008 at 64 years old in Reykjavík (kidney failure).
George Carlin
American stand-up comedian (1937–2008).
Born May 12th, 1937 in New York City. [ref]
Died June 22nd, 2008 at 71 years old in Santa Monica (heart failure). [ref]
Bernie Mac
American actor (1957–2008).
Born October 5th, 1957 in Chicago.
Died August 9th, 2008 at 50 years old in Chicago (pneumonia). [ref]
Charlton Heston
American actor (1923–2008).
Born October 4th, 1923 in Evanston.
Died April 5th, 2008 at 84 years old in Beverly Hills (pneumonia, Alzheimer's disease). [ref]
David Foster Wallace
American fiction writer and essayist (1962–2008).
Born February 21st, 1962 in Ithaca.
Died September 12th, 2008 at 46 years old in Claremont (hanging to death). [ref]
Estelle Getty
Actress (1923-2008).
Born July 25th, 1923 in New York City. [ref]
Died July 22nd, 2008 at 84 years old in Hollywood (dementia). [ref]
Michael Crichton
American author, screenwriter, film director (1942–2008).
Born October 23rd, 1942 in Chicago.
Died November 4th, 2008 at 66 years old in Los Angeles (lymphoma). [ref]
Eartha Kitt
American singer and actress (1927–2008).
Born January 17th, 1927 in North.
Died December 25th, 2008 at 81 years old in Weston (colorectal cancer).
Sam Manekshaw
First field marshal of the indian army (1914–2008).
Born April 3rd, 1914 in Amritsar.
Died June 27th, 2008 at 94 years old in Wellington (pneumonia). [ref]
Roy Scheider
American actor (1932–2008).
Born November 10th, 1932 in Orange.
Died February 10th, 2008 at 75 years old in Little Rock (cancer, staphylococcal infection, multiple myeloma). [ref]
Isaac Hayes
American singer, composer, and actor (1942–2008).
Born August 20th, 1942 in Covington. [ref]
Died August 10th, 2008 at 65 years old in Memphis (stroke). [ref]
Suzanne Pleshette
American actress (1937-2008).
Born January 31st, 1937 in New York City.
Died January 19th, 2008 at 70 years old in Los Angeles (pneumonia, lung cancer). [ref]
Yves Saint Laurent
French fashion designer.
Born August 1st, 1936 in Oran. [ref]
Died June 1st, 2008 at 71 years old in Paris (brain cancer). [ref]
Edmund Hillary
New zealand mountaineer.
Born July 20th, 1919 in Auckland. [ref]
Died January 11th, 2008 at 88 years old in Auckland City (myocardial infarction). [ref]
Jeff Healey
Canadian musician (1966–2008).
Born March 25th, 1966 in Toronto.
Died March 2nd, 2008 at 41 years old in Toronto (sarcoma). [ref]
Arthur C. Clarke
British science fiction writer, inventor, and futurist (1917–2008).
Born December 16th, 1917 in Minehead.
Died March 19th, 2008 at 90 years old in Colombo (heart failure). [ref]
Brad Renfro
American actor (1982-2008).
Born July 25th, 1982 in Knoxville. [ref]
Died January 15th, 2008 at 25 years old in Los Angeles (drug overdose). [ref]
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Russian writer, publicist, poet and politician (1918–2008).
Born December 11th, 1918 in Kislovodsk. [ref]
Died August 3rd, 2008 at 89 years old in Moscow (heart failure). [ref]
Christian Brando
Child of actor marlon brando and an occasional actor (1958-2008).
Born May 11th, 1958 in Los Angeles.
Died January 26th, 2008 at 49 years old in Los Angeles (pneumonia). [ref]
Jerry Reed
American singer and actor (1937–2008).
Born March 20th, 1937 in Atlanta.
Died September 1st, 2008 at 71 years old in Nashville (pulmonary emphysema). [ref]
Richard Wright
English musician, co-founder of pink floyd (1943–2008).
Born July 28th, 1943 in London.
Died September 15th, 2008 at 65 years old in London (cancer). [ref]
Sandeep Unnikrishnan
Major (1977-2008).
Born March 15th, 1977 in Kozhikode.
Died November 28th, 2008 at 31 years old in Mumbai.
Harvey Korman
American actor and comedian (1927–2008).
Born February 15th, 1927 in Chicago.
Died May 29th, 2008 at 81 years old in Los Angeles (abdominal aortic aneurysm).
Deaths 1 to 25 of 809
Since we’re all going to die, it’s obvious that when and how don’t matter. Albert Camus