For the 30th 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.

Choose any date combination:      
Ellie Nesler

81

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

80

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

79

Harold Pinter · 78

October 10th, 1930 - December 24th, 2008


Exit, stage left.

W. Mark Felt

78

W. Mark Felt · 95

August 17th, 1913 - December 18th, 2008


Deeper than ever.

Sammy Baugh

77

Sammy Baugh · 94

March 17th, 1914 - December 17th, 2008


Passed.

Van Johnson

76

Van Johnson · 92

August 25th, 1916 - December 12th, 2008


He's on the subway in the sky.

Bettie Page

75

Bettie Page · 85

April 22nd, 1923 - December 11th, 2008


She was on more than a few working lists for 2009

Robert Prosky

74

Robert Prosky · 77

December 13th, 1930 - December 8th, 2008


He's REALLY blue now.

Sunny von Bulow

73

Sunny von Bulow · 77

September 1st, 1931 - December 6th, 2008


Forecast for tomorrow: a little less Sunny than today.

Odetta

72

Odetta · 77

December 31st, 1930 - December 2nd, 2008


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

William Gibson

71

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

70

Pete Newell · 93

August 31st, 1915 - November 17th, 2008


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

Mitch Mitchell

69

Mitch Mitchell · 61

July 9th, 1947 - November 12th, 2008


Looks like they finally got the old band back together.

Herb Score

68

Herb Score · 75

June 7th, 1933 - November 11th, 2008


Final.

Preacher Roe

67

Preacher Roe · 92

February 26th, 1916 - November 9th, 2008


Amen.

Michael Crichton

66

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

65

Yma Sumac · 86

September 13th, 1922 - November 1st, 2008


Egayov nob, Amy Camus.

Jimmy Black

64

Jimmy Black · 70

February 1st, 1938 - November 1st, 2008


He was the Indian of the group.

Studs Terkel

63

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

62

Tony Hillerman · 83

May 27th, 1925 - October 26th, 2008


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

Rudy Ray Moore

61

Rudy Ray Moore · 81

March 17th, 1927 - October 19th, 2008


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

Mr. Blackwell

60

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

59

Levi Stubbs · 72

June 6th, 1936 - October 17th, 2008


He can't help himself.

Neal Hefti

58

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

57

Paul Newman · 83

January 26th, 1925 - September 26th, 2008


What we've got here is failure to perpetuate.

Norman Whitfield

56

Norman Whitfield · 68

May 12th, 1940 - September 16th, 2008


It was the 16th of September ...

Richard Wright

55

Richard Wright · 65

July 28th, 1943 - September 15th, 2008


See you on the dark side of the moon.

David Foster Wallace

54

David Foster Wallace · 46

February 21st, 1962 - September 12th, 2008


Finite jest.

Jerry Reed

53

Jerry Reed · 71

March 20th, 1937 - August 31st, 2008


When you're not, you're not.

Pervis Jackson

52

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

51

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

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

49

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

48

Lou Teicher · 83

August 24th, 1924 - August 3rd, 2008


Exodus.

Skip Caray

47

Skip Caray · 68

August 12th, 1939 - August 3rd, 2008


Might as well, now.

Estelle Getty

46

Estelle Getty · 84

July 25th, 1923 - July 22nd, 2008


It's about time we buried a Golden Girl.

Les Crane

45

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

44

Bobby Murcer · 62

May 20th, 1946 - July 12th, 2008


The only good Yankee is a dead Yankee.

Tony Snow

43

Tony Snow · 53

June 1st, 1955 - July 12th, 2008


It's like Christmas in July!

Michael DeBakey

42

Michael DeBakey · 99

September 7th, 1908 - July 11th, 2008


He was, like, a doctor, right?

Jesse Helms

41

Jesse Helms · 86

October 18th, 1921 - July 4th, 2008


Senator No Pulse.

George Carlin

40

George Carlin · 71

May 12th, 1937 - June 22nd, 2008


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

Cyd Charisse

39

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

38

Tim Russert · 58

May 7th, 1950 - June 13th, 2008


The bright side? Fresh organs for Big Russ.

Jim McKay

37

Jim McKay · 86

September 24th, 1921 - June 7th, 2008


He's all gone.

Bo Diddley

36

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

35

Mel Ferrer · 90

August 25th, 1917 - June 2nd, 2008


Who?

Yves St. Laurent

34

Yves St. Laurent · 71

August 1st, 1936 - June 1st, 2008


Fashionably late.

Harvey Korman

33

Harvey Korman · 81

February 15th, 1927 - May 29th, 2008


DEADley!

Sydney Pollack

32

Sydney Pollack · 73

July 1st, 1934 - May 26th, 2008


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

Dick Martin

31

Dick Martin · 86

January 30th, 1922 - May 24th, 2008


Say goodnight, Dick.

Utah Phillips

30

Utah Phillips · 73

May 15th, 1935 - May 23rd, 2008


Moose Turd Pie was his big hit. Heard enough?

Robert Mondavi

29

Robert Mondavi · 94

June 18th, 1913 - May 16th, 2008


Popped his cork.

Eddy Arnold

28

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

27

Irvine Robbins · 90

December 6th, 1917 - May 5th, 2008


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

Buzzie Bavasi

26

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

25

Albert Hofmann · 102

January 11th, 1906 - April 29th, 2008


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

Charlton Heston

24

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

23

Richard Widmark · 93

December 26th, 1914 - March 24th, 2008


Hollywood says goodbye to the King of the Weasels.

Arthur Clarke

22

Arthur Clarke · 90

December 16th, 1917 - March 19th, 2008


2008: Odyssey over.

Howard Metzenbaum

21

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

20

Hurricane Smith · 85

February 22nd, 1923 - March 3rd, 2008


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

Jeff Healey

19

Jeff Healey · 41

March 25th, 1966 - March 2nd, 2008


He never saw it coming.

William F. Buckley Jr.

18

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

17

Buddy Miles · 60

September 5th, 1947 - February 26th, 2008


Just another one of them changes, huh, Buddy?

David Groh

16

David Groh · 68

May 21st, 1939 - February 12th, 2008


Remember him? The husband from Rhoda?
No?

Roy Scheider

15

Roy Scheider · 75

November 10th, 1932 - February 10th, 2008


So long, old chum.

Maharishi Yogi

14

Maharishi Yogi · 90

January 12th, 1918 - February 5th, 2008


He was smarter than the average con man.

Earl Butz

13

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

12

. 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

11

Christian Brando · 49

May 11th, 1958 - January 26th, 2008


Thrown to the lions.

Heath Ledger

10

Heath Ledger · 28

April 4th, 1979 - January 22nd, 2008


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

Suzanne Pleshette

9

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

8

John Stewart · 68

September 5th, 1939 - January 19th, 2008


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

Georgia Frontiere

7

Georgia Frontiere · 80

November 21st, 1927 - January 18th, 2008


Georgia went down to the Devil.

Bobby Fischer

6

Bobby Fischer · 64

March 9th, 1943 - January 17th, 2008


Looks like checkmate, you fucking psycho.

Brad Renfro

5

Brad Renfro · 25

July 25th, 1982 - January 15th, 2008


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

Johnny Podres

4

Johnny Podres · 75

September 30th, 1932 - January 13th, 2008


Dead guy.

Carl Karcher

3

Carl Karcher · 90

January 16th, 1917 - January 11th, 2008


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

Edmund Hillary

2

Edmund Hillary · 88

July 20th, 1919 - January 11th, 2008


Because he was there.

Johnny Grant

1

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.

 

 

Guess the Stiff!

Choked on the cosmic weenie.

(d) March 17th, 2006