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| Famous people who died in 2008 | Famous people who died in 2008 |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| The year 2008 saw the death of dozens of famous people - actors and singers, former presidents, celebrated writers, the world's best-known mountaineer and one of the giants of chess. | The year 2008 saw the death of dozens of famous people - actors and singers, former presidents, celebrated writers, the world's best-known mountaineer and one of the giants of chess. |
| Click here for obituaries of key personalities in the worlds of film, television and music. For full obituaries of those listed below, click on their names. | Click here for obituaries of key personalities in the worlds of film, television and music. For full obituaries of those listed below, click on their names. |
| Sir Edmund Hillary | Sir Edmund Hillary |
| The first man to step on the summit of Mount Everest, closely followed by Sherpa Tenzing, in 1953. | The first man to step on the summit of Mount Everest, closely followed by Sherpa Tenzing, in 1953. |
| Died: 11 January, in New Zealand, aged 88. | Died: 11 January, in New Zealand, aged 88. |
| Bobby Fischer | Bobby Fischer |
| US chess genius who beat Russia's Boris Spassky in 1972, in the "chess match of the century". | US chess genius who beat Russia's Boris Spassky in 1972, in the "chess match of the century". |
| Died: 18 January, in Iceland, aged 64. | Died: 18 January, in Iceland, aged 64. |
| George Habash | George Habash |
| Founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. | Founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. |
| Died: 26 January, in Jordan, aged 81. | Died: 26 January, in Jordan, aged 81. |
| Suharto | Suharto |
| President of Indonesia from 1967 to 1998, ousted after the Asian financial crisis triggered a wave of unrest. | President of Indonesia from 1967 to 1998, ousted after the Asian financial crisis triggered a wave of unrest. |
| Died: 27 January, in Indonesia. aged 86. | Died: 27 January, in Indonesia. aged 86. |
| Maharishi Mahesh Yogi | Maharishi Mahesh Yogi |
| Indian guru credited with introducing the Beatles and other stars to ancient Hindu meditation methods. | Indian guru credited with introducing the Beatles and other stars to ancient Hindu meditation methods. |
| Died: 5 February, in the Netherlands, at an estimated age of 91. | Died: 5 February, in the Netherlands, at an estimated age of 91. |
| Sir Arthur C Clarke | Sir Arthur C Clarke |
| British science fiction pioneer who foresaw the arrival of space shuttles and satellite communications networks. | British science fiction pioneer who foresaw the arrival of space shuttles and satellite communications networks. |
| Died: 19 March in Sri Lanka, aged 90. | Died: 19 March in Sri Lanka, aged 90. |
| Yves St Laurent | Yves St Laurent |
| Designer who introduced short skirts and trouser suits in the 1960s and built a vast fashion and perfume empire. | Designer who introduced short skirts and trouser suits in the 1960s and built a vast fashion and perfume empire. |
| Died: 2 June in Paris, aged 71. | Died: 2 June in Paris, aged 71. |
| Cyd Charisse | |
| One of the most brilliant and beautiful female dancers who starred with legends Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. | |
| Died: 17 June in Los Angeles, aged 86. | |
| Jesse Helms | Jesse Helms |
| One of the most one most vocal conservatives in the US Congress, dubbed "Senator No" by his critics. | One of the most one most vocal conservatives in the US Congress, dubbed "Senator No" by his critics. |
| Died: 4 July in North Carolina, aged 86. | Died: 4 July in North Carolina, aged 86. |
| Sir Charles Wheeler | Sir Charles Wheeler |
| Veteran BBC correspondent, who covered the Hungarian Uprising and the assassination of Martin Luther King. | Veteran BBC correspondent, who covered the Hungarian Uprising and the assassination of Martin Luther King. |
| Died: 4 July in London, aged 85 | Died: 4 July in London, aged 85 |
| Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn | Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn |
| Russian Nobel-prize-winning novelist who documented Stalin's labour camps in the Gulag Archipelago. | Russian Nobel-prize-winning novelist who documented Stalin's labour camps in the Gulag Archipelago. |
| Died: 4 August in Moscow, aged 89. | Died: 4 August in Moscow, aged 89. |
| Levy Mwanawasa | Levy Mwanawasa |
| Zambian president who led African criticism of Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe. | Zambian president who led African criticism of Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe. |
| Died: 19 August in Paris, aged 59 | Died: 19 August in Paris, aged 59 |
| Joerg Haider | Joerg Haider |
| Austrian far-right leader whose far-right Freedom Party entered government in 2000, triggering EU sanctions. | Austrian far-right leader whose far-right Freedom Party entered government in 2000, triggering EU sanctions. |
| Died: 11 October in Austria, aged 58. | Died: 11 October in Austria, aged 58. |
| Studs Terkel | Studs Terkel |
| Author of classic American oral history, jazz lover and host of long-running Chicago radio programme. | Author of classic American oral history, jazz lover and host of long-running Chicago radio programme. |
| Died: 31 October in Chicago, aged 96. | Died: 31 October in Chicago, aged 96. |
| Patriarch Alexiy II | Patriarch Alexiy II |
| Alexei Ridiger, a Russian Orthodox priest with links to the KGB, was elected Patriarch Alexiy II in 1990. | Alexei Ridiger, a Russian Orthodox priest with links to the KGB, was elected Patriarch Alexiy II in 1990. |
| Died: 5 December in Moscow, aged 79. | Died: 5 December in Moscow, aged 79. |
| Martha "Sunny" von Bulow | |
| The US heiress spent almost three decades in a coma but was still at the centre of 1980s courtroom dramas. | |
| Died: 6 December in New York, aged 76. | |
| Mark Felt ("Deep Throat") | Mark Felt ("Deep Throat") |
| FBI agent Mark Felt was Deep Throat, who helped the Washington Post expose the Watergate scandal. | FBI agent Mark Felt was Deep Throat, who helped the Washington Post expose the Watergate scandal. |
| Died: 19 December in California, aged 95. | Died: 19 December in California, aged 95. |