The Stiffs for 2008

For the 31st year running, we present our fondest farewells to the recently departed.

If they were on any lists — or if they mattered at all in the world — you'll find them here.

If you're looking for everybody, then you need to head on over to the Directory.

Ellie Nesler · 56

August 2nd, 1952 - December 26th, 2008

She tried to buy 10,000 decongestant tablets from an undercover officer back in 1992. Either she was making methamphetamine, or she had REALLY bad allergies.

Eartha Kitt · 81

January 17th, 1927 - December 25th, 2008

She sang "Santa Baby," and died on Christmas. Man, do we love this game.

Harold Pinter · 78

October 10th, 1930 - December 24th, 2008

Exit, stage left.

W. Mark Felt · 95

August 17th, 1913 - December 18th, 2008

Deeper than ever.

Sammy Baugh · 94

March 17th, 1914 - December 17th, 2008

Passed.

Van Johnson · 92

August 25th, 1916 - December 12th, 2008

He's on the subway in the sky.

Bettie Page · 85

April 22nd, 1923 - December 11th, 2008

She was on more than a few working lists for 2009

Robert Prosky · 77

December 13th, 1930 - December 8th, 2008

He's REALLY blue now.

Sunny von Bulow · 77

September 1st, 1931 - December 6th, 2008

Forecast for tomorrow: a little less Sunny than today.

Odetta · 77

December 31st, 1930 - December 2nd, 2008

Someone's toast, my Lord, Cumbaya ...

William Gibson · 94

November 13th, 1914 - November 25th, 2008

You want a miracle? How about the fact that the guy smoked cigars constantly from the time he was 15, and lived to be 94?

Pete Newell · 93

August 31st, 1915 - November 17th, 2008

In the final days, he was quite the dribbler himself.

Mitch Mitchell · 61

July 9th, 1947 - November 12th, 2008

Looks like they finally got the old band back together.

Herb Score · 75

June 7th, 1933 - November 11th, 2008

Final.

Preacher Roe · 92

February 26th, 1916 - November 9th, 2008

Amen.

Michael Crichton · 66

October 23rd, 1942 - November 4th, 2008

"Andromeda Strain" is actually the medical term for the process by which Mr. Crichton's bowels and colon would work in conjunction to produce a "novel."

Yma Sumac · 86

September 13th, 1922 - November 1st, 2008

Egayov nob, Amy Camus.

Jimmy Black · 70

February 1st, 1938 - November 1st, 2008

He was the Indian of the group.

Studs Terkel · 96

May 16th, 1912 - October 31st, 2008

He was a promising young writer, once upon a time, but his career reached a low point in the 1980s when he appeared in several beer commercials dressed as a dog.

Tony Hillerman · 83

May 27th, 1925 - October 26th, 2008

He wrote detective novels about Navajo Indians. Those must have been riveting.

Rudy Ray Moore · 81

March 17th, 1927 - October 19th, 2008

Dolemite was his name, and fuckin' up mutha fuckas was his game.

Mr. Blackwell · 86

August 29th, 1922 - October 19th, 2008

Richie is now wearing a boxy, pine number that no self-respecting designer would be caught dead in.

Levi Stubbs · 72

June 6th, 1936 - October 17th, 2008

He can't help himself.

Neal Hefti · 85

October 29th, 1922 - October 11th, 2008

Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da — DEAD MAN!

Paul Newman · 83

January 26th, 1925 - September 26th, 2008

What we've got here is failure to perpetuate.

Norman Whitfield · 68

May 12th, 1940 - September 16th, 2008

It was the 16th of September ...

Richard Wright · 65

July 28th, 1943 - September 15th, 2008

See you on the dark side of the moon.

David Foster Wallace · 46

February 21st, 1962 - September 12th, 2008

Finite jest.

Jerry Reed · 71

March 20th, 1937 - August 31st, 2008

When you're not, you're not.

Pervis Jackson · 70

May 17th, 1938 - August 18th, 2008

Despite his repeated assurances to the contrary, it now appears that the bass vocalist for the Spinners will not, in fact, be around.

Isaac Hayes · 65

August 20th, 1942 - August 10th, 2008

They say this cat Hayes is a dead mother-

(Shut your mouth!)

No, really, it was on the news

(Then we can dig it!)

Bernie Mac · 50

October 5th, 1957 - August 9th, 2008

Are you seeing this, America? This man's in a box in the ground!

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn · 89

December 11th, 1918 - August 3rd, 2008

A somewhat harsher form of exile than the usual, imposed by a somewhat higher authority.

Lou Teicher · 83

August 24th, 1924 - August 3rd, 2008

Exodus.

Skip Caray · 68

August 12th, 1939 - August 3rd, 2008

Might as well, now.

Estelle Getty · 84

July 25th, 1923 - July 22nd, 2008

It's about time we buried a Golden Girl.

Les Crane · 74

December 3rd, 1933 - July 13th, 2008

You were a fluke of the universe. You had no right to be here, and whether you can hear it or not, the universe is laughing behind your back.

Bobby Murcer · 62

May 20th, 1946 - July 12th, 2008

The only good Yankee is a dead Yankee.

Tony Snow · 53

June 1st, 1955 - July 12th, 2008

It's like Christmas in July!

Michael DeBakey · 99

September 7th, 1908 - July 11th, 2008

He was, like, a doctor, right?

Jesse Helms · 86

October 18th, 1921 - July 4th, 2008

Senator No Pulse.

George Carlin · 71

May 12th, 1937 - June 22nd, 2008

Tonight's forecast calls for increasing chest pains followed by perpetual darkness.

Cyd Charisse · 86

March 8th, 1922 - June 17th, 2008

Her career peaked in 1976, when, after years of B-movie roles and unheralded hoofing, she was cast as President's Girl #4 in Won Ton Ton, The Dog Who Saved Hollywood. Look it up.

Tim Russert · 58

May 7th, 1950 - June 13th, 2008

The bright side? Fresh organs for Big Russ.

Jim McKay · 86

September 24th, 1921 - June 7th, 2008

He's all gone.

Bo Diddley · 79

December 30th, 1928 - June 2nd, 2008

Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley, have you heard?
They gonna cover you up with dirt.

Mel Ferrer · 90

August 25th, 1917 - June 2nd, 2008

Who?

Yves St. Laurent · 71

August 1st, 1936 - June 1st, 2008

Fashionably late.

Harvey Korman · 81

February 15th, 1927 - May 29th, 2008

DEADley!

Sydney Pollack · 73

July 1st, 1934 - May 26th, 2008

The director of "Absence Of Malice" has now attained it.

Dick Martin · 86

January 30th, 1922 - May 24th, 2008

Say goodnight, Dick.

Utah Phillips · 73

May 15th, 1935 - May 23rd, 2008

Moose Turd Pie was his big hit. Heard enough?

Robert Mondavi · 94

June 18th, 1913 - May 16th, 2008

Popped his cork.

Eddy Arnold · 89

May 15th, 1918 - May 8th, 2008

He sang "Make The World Go Away" in 1965, and finally got his wish in 2008.

Irvine Robbins · 90

December 6th, 1917 - May 5th, 2008

I scream, you scream, we all scream, he's dead.

Buzzie Bavasi · 93

December 12th, 1914 - May 1st, 2008

There once was a GM named Buzzie
Whose tactics were said to be scuzzy
From the day they were drafted
All his players got shafted
Ol' Buzz wasn't very nice, was he?

Albert Hofmann · 102

January 11th, 1906 - April 29th, 2008

Now he knows what it's like to be dead.

Charlton Heston · 84

October 4th, 1923 - April 5th, 2008

Isn't that our cue to pry the rifle out of his hands? How cold do they have to be?

Richard Widmark · 93

December 26th, 1914 - March 24th, 2008

Hollywood says goodbye to the King of the Weasels.

Arthur Clarke · 90

December 16th, 1917 - March 19th, 2008

2008: Odyssey over.

Howard Metzenbaum · 90

June 4th, 1917 - March 12th, 2008

The storied Ohio legislator was known on Capitol Hill as "Senator No" and "Headline Howard," while at home, they called him "Butt-Face."

Hurricane Smith · 85

February 22nd, 1923 - March 3rd, 2008

Oh, babe, what would you say, if you weren't dead?

Jeff Healey · 41

March 25th, 1966 - March 2nd, 2008

He never saw it coming.

William F. Buckley Jr. · 82

November 24th, 1925 - February 27th, 2008

As the world bids farewell to this emphysema-ridden blow-hard, we'd like to join his son Christopher in saying, "Thank you for smoking."

Buddy Miles · 60

September 5th, 1947 - February 26th, 2008

Just another one of them changes, huh, Buddy?

David Groh · 68

May 21st, 1939 - February 12th, 2008

Remember him? The husband from Rhoda?
No?

Roy Scheider · 75

November 10th, 1932 - February 10th, 2008

So long, old chum.

Maharishi Yogi · 90

January 12th, 1918 - February 5th, 2008

He was smarter than the average con man.

Earl Butz · 98

July 3rd, 1909 - February 2nd, 2008

All he was looking for in life was a cushy Cabinet post, a repugnant sense of humor, and a warm mouth to put his foot into.

. Suharto · 86

June 8th, 1921 - January 27th, 2008

He knew first-hand what the rest of us learned from Johnny Cash — it's tough being a boy named Suharto.

Christian Brando · 49

May 11th, 1958 - January 26th, 2008

Thrown to the lions.

Heath Ledger · 28

April 4th, 1979 - January 22nd, 2008

Well, there's one thing we like about him.

Suzanne Pleshette · 70

January 31st, 1937 - January 19th, 2008

Did they really expect us to believe that someone this hot would be married to Bob Newhart? Yeah, right.

John Stewart · 68

September 5th, 1939 - January 19th, 2008

There's people out there turning you into gold, buddy.

Georgia Frontiere · 80

November 21st, 1927 - January 18th, 2008

Georgia went down to the Devil.

Bobby Fischer · 64

March 9th, 1943 - January 17th, 2008

Looks like checkmate, you fucking psycho.

Brad Renfro · 25

July 25th, 1982 - January 15th, 2008

One of the stars of Ghost World is now a resident.

Johnny Podres · 75

September 30th, 1932 - January 13th, 2008

Dead guy.

Carl Karcher · 90

January 16th, 1917 - January 11th, 2008

Okay, so, that's one Old-Timer, extra cheese .... Uh, flies?

Edmund Hillary · 88

July 20th, 1919 - January 11th, 2008

Because he was there.

Johnny Grant · 84

May 9th, 1923 - January 9th, 2008

Could there possibly be a more useless title in the universe than "Honorary Mayor of Hollywood"? No, we don't think so either.

Year	Stiffs
2025	2
2024	44
2023	54
2022	44
2021	56
2020	71
2019	54
2018	51
2017	65
2016	72
2015	59
2014	63
2013	68
2012	81
2011	65
2010	80
2009	65
2008	83
2007	78
2006	99
2005	84
2004	70
2003	97
2002	101
2001	99
2000	92
1999	192
1998	127
1997	119
1996	63
1995	40

Guess the Stiff!