# Famous folks we lost in 2008 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761 "2009-01-04T00:39:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Atomicflea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Atomicflea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomicflea)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/1 "2009-01-04T00:39:08Z")
[I feel old.](http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/YearInReview/popup?id=6393797&contentIndex=1&page=1&start=false) 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. ☹ 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. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/2 "2009-01-04T00:40:43Z")
Bernie Mac’s death shocked me when I head of it. It just seemed to come out of nowhere. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/3 "2009-01-04T00:55:25Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/4 "2009-01-04T00:57:35Z")
David Simmons. While not as famous as a movie star, he was pretty famous around here. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/5 "2009-01-04T01:11:11Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/6 "2009-01-04T01:46:17Z")
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… ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/7 "2009-01-04T02:20:55Z")
David Foster Wallace ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/8 "2009-01-04T02:40:30Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/9 "2009-01-04T04:16:49Z")
Charlton Heston died? Guess I missed that one. ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/10 "2009-01-04T04:22:00Z")
I was pretty upset when I woke up Christmas morning to find that Pinter had died. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/11 "2009-01-04T04:49:53Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Farewell to– > > Jimmy Carl Black 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?_ ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/12 "2009-01-04T08:08:04Z")
This was a sad year for us Geeks, no only Forry Ackerman, but Arthur C. Clarke, Gary Gygax, And Majel Barrett-Roddenberry as well. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/13 "2009-01-04T09:49:29Z")
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.) ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/14 "2009-01-04T10:13:16Z")
> [@Captain\_C](#): > > Charlton Heston died? Guess I missed that one. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/15 "2009-01-04T12:14:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/16 "2009-01-04T12:29:33Z")
> [@Tarwater](#): > > I was pretty upset when I woke up Christmas morning to find that Pinter had died. It gives one pause. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/17 "2009-01-04T13:10:32Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/18 "2009-01-05T11:19:44Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Btw, lets not forget Bettie Page and Vampira/Maila Nurmi. Or Adrian Mitchell. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/19 "2009-01-05T11:34:42Z")
> [@Priceguy](#): > > 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). You do realize that Getty was _made_ to look old? In real life, she was the second-youngest of the Golden Girls. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761/20 "2009-01-05T11:35:56Z")
Richard Wright, Pink Floyd. Gave me a jolt. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-folks-we-lost-in-2008/479761.md?page=2)