Those We Lost in 2008

This year saw the passing of many notable people, from Paul Newman and Michael Crichton to William F. Buckley and designer Yves St. Laurent. Here are a few that made the lists of the NY Times and LA Times:

• Tim Russert (b. 1950)—TV journalist and 16-year host of Meet the Press.
• Charlton Heston (b. 1923)—star of Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments, and later NRA activist.
• George Carlin (b. 1937)—legendary rabble-rousing comedian.
• Heath Ledger (b. 1979)—rising star's credits include Brokeback Mountain; Oscar rumblings for Dark Knight.
• Steve Fossett (b. 1945)—billionaire adventurer missing since September 2007.
• Albert Hoffman (b. 1906)—research chemist who discovered LSD.
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• Edmund Hillary (b. 1919)—first person to reach the Mt. Everest summit.
• Harold Pinter, (b. 1930)—Nobel prize-winning playwright.
• Louis de Cazenave (b. 1897)—Germany's last veteran of World War I.
• Paul Newman (b. 1925)—star of The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, as well as a powerful philanthropist.
• Studs Terkel (b. 1912)—Pulitzer-Prize winning author.

Click below for the full lists.
(More obituary stories.)