2008 Notable Deaths

Nick Reynolds, musician, Oct. 2
Nick Reynolds, a founding member of the Kingston Trio who jump-started the revival folk scene of the late 1950s and paved the way for artists such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, died on Oct. 2. He was 75.   (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

David Foster Wallace, author, Sept. 12
“Infinite Jest” author David Foster Wallace died in an apparent suicide September 12th. He was 47. (Photo by Keith Bedford/Getty Images)  (Keith Bedford/Getty Images)

Evan Tanner, UFC Champion, Sept. 8
Former UFC Middleweight Champion Evan Tanner died at age 37, reportedly of heat exposure while camping in California. He’s seen here pinning Justin Levens. (Photo by Ryan Born/WireImage)  (Ryan Born/WireImage)

Bernie Mac, a comedian-actor who blended style, authority and a touch of self-aware bluster to make audiences laugh, died on Aug. 9 of complications from pneumonia. He was 50. Mac’s abilities were a winning mix, delivering him from a poor childhood to stardom as a stand-up comedian, in films including the casino heist caper “Ocean’s Eleven” and his acclaimed sitcom, “ The Bernie Mac Show.”   (Scott Gries/Getty Images)

Dr. Michael DeBakey, pioneering heart surgeon, July 11
Pioneering heart surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey, whose clients ranged from actress Marlene Dietrich to Russian President Boris Yeltsin, died of natural causes on July 11 in Houston. He was 99. DeBakey pioneered heart bypass operations and estimated that he had performed more than 60,000 operations. Many illustrious names dotted that list, including Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon and the last Shah of Iran and King Hussein of Jordan.  (AFP/Getty Images/Saul Loeb)

Tom Lantos, California congtressman, Feb. 11
Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress, died on Feb. 11. It was disclosed last month that he had been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. He was 80.  (TATYANA MAKEYEVA, AFP/Getty Images)

Suharto, former Indonesian president, Jan. 27
Former Indonesian President Suharto, a Cold War ally of the United States whose brutal military regime killed hundreds of thousands of left-wing political opponents, died on Jan. 27. He was 86. Although he oversaw some of the worst bloodshed of the 20th century, Suharto is credited with developing the economy and was buried with the highest state honors at the family mausoleum.  (AP/Charles Dharapak)

Christian Brando, Jan. 26
Christian Brando, the troubled eldest son of the late famed actor Marlon Brando, died from pneumonia at a Los Angeles hospital on Jan. 26. He was 49.  (AP/Nick Ut)

Sir Edmund Hillary, adventurer, Jan. 10
Sir Edmund Hillary, the unassuming beekeeper who conquered Mount Everest to win renown as one of the 20th century’s greatest adventurers, died on Jan. 10. He was 88. The gangling New Zealander devoted much of his life to aiding the mountain people of Nepal and took his fame in stride, preferring to be called “Ed” and considering himself just an ordinary beekeeper.  (AFP/Getty Images/Wojtek Radwanski)