Deaths in 2008

The following is a list of notable deaths in 2008. Names are listed under the date of death, not the date it was announced. Names under each date are listed in alphabetical order by family name.

A typical entry appears in the following sequence:

• Name, age, country of citizenship and reason for notability, established cause of death, reference.

February 2008

8

Rudie Sypkes, 57, Australian founder of the TasmanianChickenfeed retail stores, Pulmonary Fibrosis. [1]

7

• Alberto Bustamante Belaunde, 57, Peruvian politician, Prime Minister (1999–2000), heart attack. [2] (Spanish)
• Sławomir Kulpowicz, 56, Polish pianist. [3] (Polish)
• Benny Neyman, 56, Dutch singer. [4] (Dutch)
• Gay Severin, 81, Russian academician and engineer. [5] (Russian)
• Kunal Singh, 31, Indian actor, suicide by hanging. [6]

6

• John Alvin, 60, American artist best known for movie posters (Star Wars, Blade Runner, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial), heart attack. [7]
• Max Bănuş, 72, Romanian journalist, heart attack. [8] [9] (Romanian)
• Nikol Faridani, 72, Iranian aerial photographer, prostate cancer. [10]
• John Grimsley, 45, American football linebacker (Houston Oilers, Miami Dolphins), accidental gunshot. [11]
• John McWethy, 61, American television reporter, skiing accident. [12]
• Ruth Stafford Peale, 101, American writer, widow of Norman Vincent Peale. [13]
• Tony Rolt, 89, British former racing driver and last living participant in the first F1 World Championship race. [14]
• Gwenc'hlan Le Scouëzec, 78, French leader of the Druids of Brittany. [15] (French)

5

• Kenny Konz, 79, American football defensive back (Cleveland Browns), pneumonia. [16]
• Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 91?, Indian founder of Transcendental Meditation movement, former guru to The Beatles. [17]

4

• Tata Güines, 77, Cuban percussionist, kidney infection. [18]
• Harry Richard Landis, 108, American second-to-last World War I veteran. [19]
• Stefan Meller, 65, Polish diplomat, foreign minister (2005–2006). [20]
• Boris Nebieridze, 65, Ukrainian film director, brain tumor. [21] (Russian)
• Nikolay Popov, 76, Russian chief designer of T-80 tank, after long illness. [22] [23] (Russian)
• Peter Thomas, Baron Thomas of Gwydir, 87, British Conservative Party chairman (1970–1972), Welsh Secretary (1970–1974). [24]

3

• Samuel Boyle, 59, American bureau chief (New York City) of Associated Press (1981–2002), lung cancer. [25]
• Sheldon Brown, 63, American bicycle mechanic and technical authority, heart attack. [26]
• Ernesto Illy, 82, Italian food chemist and chairman of the illy coffee company. [27]
• Jorge Liderman, 50, Argentine-American composer, apparent suicide by train impact. [28]
• Jackie Orszaczky, 59, Hungarian-born Australian musician, cancer. [29]
• Charley van de Weerd, 86, Dutch football player. [30] (Dutch)

2

• Gus Arriola, 90, American cartoonist (Gordo), Parkinson's disease. [31]
• Ahmad Bourghani, 48, Iranian politician, heart failure. [32]
• Earl Butz, 98, American politician, Secretary of Agriculture (1971–1976). [33]
• Heinrich Dahlinger, 85, German field handball player, entrepreneur, kidney failure. [34] (German)
• Joshua Lederberg, 82, American Nobel Prize winning molecular biologist. [35]
• Barry Morse, 89, British-born Canadian actor (The Fugitive, Space: 1999). [36]
• Daoud Soumain, Chadian general, Army Chief of Staff, killed during battle in the War in Chad. [37]
• Ed Vargo, 79, American baseball umpire. [38]

1

• Hélio Quaglia Barbosa, 66, Brazilian member of the Superior Court of Justice, multiple organ failure. [39] (Portuguese}
• Floyd Boring, 92, American Secret Service agent, helped foil Truman assassination attempt. [40]
• Beto Carrero, 70, Brazilian theme park owner (Beto Carrero World), endocarditis. [41] (Portuguese)
• Al DeMao, 87, American football center for the Washington Redskins (1945-1953). [42]
• Joan Eikelboom, 38, Dutch equestrian. [43] (Dutch).
• Russi Karanjia, 95, Indian journalist, former editor of Blitz. [44]
• Władysław Kawula, 70, Polish footballer. [45] (Polish)
• Shell Kepler, 49, American actress (General Hospital), renal failure. [46] [47]
• Hans Roth, 91, Austrian entrepreneur. [48] (German)
• Robert Tetsu, 94, French cartoonist. [49] (French)
• Ralph Wallace, 58, American politician, Democratic member of the Texas State House (1977–1992). [50]

January 2008

See Deaths in January 2008.

External links

• Obituaries on the Web
  • General
    • Obituaries.com
    • Recent AP Obituaries
    • Variety Magazine Obituaries
  • US
    • The New York Times: Obituaries
    • Washington Post: Obituaries
    • The Boston Globe: Obituaries
    • Los Angeles Times: Obituaries
  • South Africa
    • Mail & Guardian (South Africa) Obituaries
  • UK
    • The Daily Telegraph: Obituaries
    • The Guardian: Obituaries
    • The Independent: Obituaries
    • The Times: Obituaries
    • The Scotsman: Obituaries
    • Lasting Tribute: Obituaries
  • Australia
    • The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia): Obituaries

• Specialized websites
  • Dead or Alive
  • Dead People Server
  • Death List
  • Died Today
  • Entertainment Insiders
  • Famous Dead Database
  • Find a Grave
  • Life In Legacy
  • Respectance
  • The Blog of Death
  • The Death Pool
  • Writers We've Lost
  • Written in Stone - Literary deaths

For earlier deaths, see Deaths in 2007, Deaths in 2006, Deaths in 2005, Deaths in 2004, Deaths in 2003, Deaths in 2002, Deaths in 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1991, 1990, 1989, 1988, ...