Top 30 Notable Deaths of 2008

Unfortunately there were many notable losses this year.  Too many to even begin to name. But I thought it would be nice to pay homage to some of those that have touched my life in some way shape or form.  Here is my Top 30 Notable Deaths of 2008; a look back at some of those that we have lost this past year.

Brad Renfro – 25

Born: July 25, 1982 in KnoxvilleTennessee

Died: January 15, 2008 in Los Angeles, California

Cause of Death: Heroin Overdose

Best Known: As an actor in the movie The Client.

Bobby Fischer - 64

Born: March 9, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois

Died: January 17, 2008 in Reykjavík, Iceland

Cause of death: Renal Failure

Best Known: As a world champion chess player, grandmaster

Suzanne Pleshette - 70

Born: January 31, 1937 in New York, New York

Died: January 19, 2008 in Los Angeles, California

Cause of death: Respiratory failure after having a lung removed due to lung cancer

Best Known: As an actress on The Bob Newhart Show

Heath Ledger - 28

Born: April 4, 1979 in Perth, Western Australia

Died: January 22, 2008 in New York, New York.

Cause of Death: Accidental death by acute intoxication from the combined effects of numerous drugs

Best Known: As an actor best known for his controversial role in BrokebackMountain.

Roy Scheider - 75

Born: November 10, 1932 in Orange, New Jersey

Died: February 10, 2008 in Little Rock, Arkansas

Cause of Death: Complications from a staph infection

Best Known: As an actor in the move Jaws.

Gary Hart - 66

Born: January 24, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois

Died: March 16, 2008 in Euless, Texas

Cause of Death: Heart Attack

Best Known: Wrestling and a wrestling manager and advocate against wrestlers using controlled substances.

Charlton Heston - 84

Born: October 4, 1923 in Evanston, Illinois

Died: April 4, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California

Cause of Death: Pneumonia

Best Known: As an actor in epics like Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments and El Cid as well as being President and spokesperson for the NRA.

Mildred Loving - 68

Born: June 22, 1939

Died: May 2, 2008 in Milford, Virginia

Cause of Death: Pneumonia

Best Known: As a pioneer for interracial marriages when she and her husband won a Supreme Court case.

Dick Martin - 86

Born: January 30, 1922 in Battle Creek, Michigan

Died: May 24, 2008 in Santa Monica, California

Cause of Death: Complications from respiratory problems.

Best Known: As a comedian on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In.

Sydney Pollack - 73

Born: July 1, 1934 Lafayette, Indiana

Died: May 26, 2008 Pacific Palisades, California

Cause of Death: Stomach Cancer

Best Known: As a film director for movies such as The Way We Were and Out of Africa.

Harvey Korman - 81

Born: February 15, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois

Died: May 29, 2008 in Los Angeles, California

Cause of Death: Complications from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm

Best Known: As a comedic actor on the Carol Burnett Show.

Yves Saint Laurent - 71

Born: August 1, 1936 Oran, Algeria

Died: June 1, 2008 in Paris, France

Cause of Death: Brain Cancer

Best Known: As a French Fashion Designer

Bo Diddley - 79

Born: December 30, 1928 in McComb, Mississippi

Died: June 2, 2008 in Archer, Florida

Cause of Death: Heart Failure

Best Known: As a blues musician (singer, writer and guitarist) called “The Originator”.

Tim Russert - 58

Born: May 7, 1950 in Buffalo, New York

Died: June 13, 2008 in WashingtonDC

Cause of Death: Heart Attack

Best Known: As a television journalist and moderator for Meet The Press

Cyd Charisse - 86

Born: March 8, 1922 in Amarillo, Texas

Died: June 17, 2008 in Los Angeles, California

Cause of Death: Heart Attack

Best Known: As a dancer and actress paired with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly

George Carlin - 71

Born: May 12, 1937(1937-05-12) in Manhattan, New York

Died: June 22, 2008 in Santa Monica, California

Cause of Death: Heart Failure

Best Known: As a stand up comedian

Larry Harmon - 83

Born: January 2, 1925 in Toledo, Ohio

Died: July 3, 2008 in Los Angeles, Califonia

Cause of Death: Congestive Heart Failure

Best Known: As Bozo the Clown

Estelle Getty - 84

Born: July 25, 1923 in New York, New York 

Died: July 22, 2008 in Los Angeles, California

Cause of Death: Natural Causes

Best Known: As an actress on the show The Golden Girls

Bernie Mac - 50

Born: October 5, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois

Died: August 9, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois

Cause of Death: Pneumonia

Best Known: As a stand up comedian and actor in the Bernie Mac Show

Isaac Hayes - 65

Born: August 20, 1942 in Covington, Tennessee 

Died: August 10, 2008 in Memphis, Tennessee

Cause of Death: Stroke

Best Known: Singer and Songwriter and for the soundtrack to the movie Shaft.

Gene Upshaw - 63

Born: August 15, 1945 in Robstown, Texas

Died: August 20, 2008 in Lake Tahoe, California

Cause of Death: Pancreatic Cancer

Best Known: As a football player for the Oakland Raiders and as the executive director of the National Football League Players' Association

Paul Newman - 83

Born: January 26, 1925 in Shaker Heights, Ohio  

Died: September 26, 2008 in Westport, Connecticut

Cause of Death: Complications from Lung Cancer

Best Known: As an actor in films like the Hustler and the Color of Money, film director and humanitarian.

Levi Stubbs - 72

Born: June 6, 1936 in Detroit, Michigan

Died: October 17, 2008 in Detroit, Michigan

Cause of Death: Complications after having a stroke and cancer

Best Known: As the lead singer for The Four Tops

Richard Blackwell - 86

Born: August 29, 1922 in Brooklyn Heights, New York

Died: October 19, 2008 in Los Angeles, California

Cause of Death: Complications from an intestinal infection,

Best Known: As Mr. Blackwell the fashion critic

Tony Hillerman - 83

Born: May 27, 1925 in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma

Died: October 26, 2008 in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Cause of Death: Pulmonary Failure

Best Known: As an author of detective and mystery novels that were about Navajo police officers

Studs Terkel - 96

Born: May 16, 1912 in New York, New York

Died: October 31, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois

Cause of Death: Complications from a fall and ailing health

Best Known: As a writer, historian and radio personality.

Michael Crichton - 66

Born: October 23, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois

Died: November 4, 2008 in Los Angeles, California

Cause of Death: Throat Cancer

Best Known: As an author, producer and director and for the show ER and the movie JurassicPark based on his book.

Bettie Page - 85

Born: April 22, 1923 in Nashville, Tennessee

Died: December 11, 2008 in Los Angeles, California

Cause of Death: Complications from heart attack and Pneumonia

Best Known: As a pinup girl and fetish model

Majel Barrett - 76

Born: February 23, 1932 in Cleveland, Ohio

Died: December 18, 2008 in Los Angeles, California

Cause of Death: Complications from Leukemia

Best Known: As the widow of Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek creator and the First Lady of Star Trek. 

Eartha Kitt - 81

Born: January 17, 1927

Died: December 25, 2008

Cause of Death: Colon Cancer

Best Known: As an actress playing Catwoman and a singer with the song Santa Baby.