Another year is coming to an end and of course, we’ve lost some iconic names in pop culture. Here are some of the people that passed away in 2008:
January
11 – Mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, first man to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, 88
15 – Actor Brad Renfro (The Client, Apt Pupil, 25, of an accidental drug overdose
17 – World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer, 64, of kidney failure
18 – Actress Lois Nettleton (“Crossing Jordan”), 80, of lung cancer
19 – Actress Suzanne Pleshette (“Bob Newhart Show”), 70, of respiratory failure
19 – Singer John Stewart (The Kingston Trio), 68, of a stroke
22 – Actor Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain, The Dark Knight), 28, of an accidental drug overdose
26 – Christian Brando, son of actor Marlon Brando, 49, of pneumonia
February
1 – Actress Shell Kepler (“General Hospital”), 49, of renal failure
2 – Actor Barry Morse (“The Fugitive”), 89
5 – Beatles’ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 96
10 – Actor Roy Scheider (Jaws), 75, of myeloma
13 – Actor David Groh (“Rhoda”), 68, of kidney cancer
27 – Author William F. Buckley, 82
March
4 – Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons, 69, of Abdominal aortic aneurysm
18 – “2001: A Space Odyssey” writer Arthur C. Clarke, 90
19 – Actor Paul Scofield (A Man for All Seasons), 86, of leukemia
24 – Actor Richard Widmark (How the West Was Won), 93
April
5 – Actor Charlton Heston (The Ten Commandments), 84, of Alzheimer’s disease
May
5 – Country singer Jerry Wallace, 79
8 – Country singer Eddy Arnold, 89
24 – Comedian Dick Martin (“Laugh-In”), 86, of respiratory failure
26 – Actor/Director Sydney Pollack (Tootsie), 73, of cancer
29 – Comedian Harvey Korman (“The Carol Burnett Show,” Blazing Saddles), 81, of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm
June
1 – Designer Yves Saint Laurent, 71, of brain cancer
2 – Musician Bo Diddley, 79, of heart failure
7 – Sportscaster Jim McKay, 86
13 – Journalist Tim Russert (“Meet the Press”), 58
17 – Actress/Dancer Cyd Charisse, 87, of a heart attack
22 – Comedian George Carlin, 71, of heart failure
July
3 – Larry Harmon, Bozo the Clown, 83, of congestive heart failure
4 – North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms, 86
16 – Big Band singer Jo Stafford, 90, of congestive heart failure
22 – Actress Estelle Getty (“The Golden Girls”), 85, of Lewy body disease
25 – Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture, 47, of pancreatic cancer
August
9 – Comedian Bernie Mac, 50, of pneumonia
10 – Musician Isaac Hayes, 65, of a stroke
September
1 – Singer/Actor Jerry Reed (Smokey and the Bandit), 71, of emphysema
1 – Don LaFontaine, voice-over guy for movie trailers, 68, of a collapsed lung
26 – Actor Paul Newman (Cool Hand Luke, A Streetcar Named Desire), 83, of lung cancer
October
1 – Musician Nick Reynolds (The Kingston Trio), 75, of acute respiratory disease
17 – Four Tops lead singer Levi Stubbs, 72
19 – Fashion critic Richard Blackwell, 86
24 – Grateful Dead musician Merl Saunders, 74
November
4 – Author/Creator Michael Crichton (“Jurassic Park,” “ER”), 66
10 – Singer Miriam Makeba, Mama Afrika, 76, of a heart attack
December
1 – Actor Paul Benedict (“The Jeffersons”), 70
2 – Folk singer Odetta, 77, of heart disease/kidney failure
5 – Actress Beverly Garland (“My Three Sons”), 82
12 – Actor Van Johnson, 92