Famous folks we lost in 2008

Cafe Society
1

I feel old. This is the first time in recent memory that I know everyone on this list, not to mention I was shocked at how old some of them were in my mind. Eartha Kitt was 81? She’s forever frozen in her cougarific 50s for me. :frowning:

I’m heartbroken about Paul Newman and Estelle Getty, both class acts, but even more so by Tim Russert and Heath Ledger, who were both taken far too soon.

Charlton Heston-meh.

What are your reactions? Any folks that particularly surprised you or took you off-guard? I thought it eerie that Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes died within a day of each other, and costarred in their last movie.

2

Bernie Mac’s death shocked me when I head of it. It just seemed to come out of nowhere.

3

As a Dead Pool participant, I’ve got to say their list is seriously short. A great deal more famous people died than was listed on there (Roy Scheider, for one, is missing). I’m sorry we lost Carlin, yes I know he was past his prime, but I think that even post-prime Carlin would have savaged (and rightly so) the hell out of Palin.

4

David Simmons. While not as famous as a movie star, he was pretty famous around here.

5

Carlin was the only one who really saddened me personally. I was sorry to hear about Isaac Hayes, Bernie Mac and Studs Terkel, and it was particularly unfortunate to lose Russert during a big election year.

6

Farewell to–

Isaac Hayes
Freddie Hubbard
Bo Diddley
Prince Lasha
Jimmy Carl Black
Rick Wright
Bettie Page
Forrest J. Ackerman
Albert Hofmann
Mitch Mitchell
Buddy Miles
Will Elder

I’m sure I’ve forgotten some…

7

David Foster Wallace

8

In addition to folks already mentioned, Majel Barrett got me. I also had, “Well, damn!” moments over:

Robert Prosky
Levi Stubbs
Cyd Charisse
Harvey Korman
Richard Widmark
Suzanne Pleshette

9

Charlton Heston died? Guess I missed that one.

10

I was pretty upset when I woke up Christmas morning to find that Pinter had died.

11

The Indian of the group?

(singing an ancient Cheyenne dirge)

Come on in this place,
'N I’ll buy you a taste,
You can sit on my face-
Where’s my waitress?

12

This was a sad year for us Geeks, no only Forry Ackerman, but Arthur C. Clarke, Gary Gygax, And Majel Barrett-Roddenberry as well. :frowning:

13

And author Donald E. Westlake, on the very last day of the year.
(You might also know him under one of these pen names: John B. Allan, Judson Jack Carmichael, Curt Clark, Timothy J. Culver, J. Morgan Cunningham, Richard Stark, Edwin West. And that’s only the major pen names he used.)

14

Me too. I managed to miss Paul Newman, Isaac Hayes, Estelle Getty (she looked so old in The Golden Girls that I would have bet a considerable sum of money she’d been dead for quite some time), Bernie Mac and Bo Diddley as well. I’m just out of the loop.

15

We lost Don LaFontaine on September 1st: the voice of countless movie trailers (amongst a plethora of other stuff):

“In a world…where people are forced to live without the best movie trailer voice ever…”

…and so forth.

16

It gives one pause.

17

Tim Russert & Heath Ledger both were tragic deaths, especially in light of the timing- a historical Presidential election for one, and the role of his career for the other. For me, Heston’s was sad but a relief that he didn’t have to linger with Alzheimer’s as long as President Reagan did. The only one that affected me personally- Forrest J. Ackerman.

Btw, lets not forget Bettie Page and Vampira/Maila Nurmi.

18

Or Adrian Mitchell.

19

You do realize that Getty was made to look old? In real life, she was the second-youngest of the Golden Girls.

20

Richard Wright, Pink Floyd. Gave me a jolt.