List of Famous people who died in 2008

Bettie Mae Page, known professionally as Bettie Page, was an American model who gained notoriety in the 1950s for her pin-up photos. Often referred to as the "Queen of Pinups", her shoulder-to-armpit-length jet-black hair, blue eyes, and trademark bangs have influenced artists for generations. "I think that she was a remarkable lady, an iconic figure in pop culture who influenced sexuality, taste in fashion, someone who had a tremendous impact on our society," said Playboy founder Hugh Hefner to the Associated Press in 2008.

Sydney Irwin Pollack was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack directed more than 20 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 movies or shows and produced over 44 films. For his film Out of Africa (1985), Pollack won the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture. He was also nominated for Best Director Oscars for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) and Tootsie (1982).

Mikhail Ivanovich Pugovkin was a Soviet and Russian comic actor named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1988.

Melvin Henry Ignatow was a resident of Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., who was tried for the 1988 murder of his former girlfriend, Brenda Sue Schaefer. The case was controversial because Ignatow was acquitted of the charge and he later admitted killing Schaefer. Under the legal principle of double jeopardy, however, Ignatow could not be tried a second time for the murder. He was, instead, convicted and jailed for several instances of perjury in his grand jury testimony for the case.

Yang Jia was a Chinese citizen executed for murdering six Shanghai police officers with a knife.

Havildar Bhanbhagta Gurung VC, also known as Bhanbhakta Gurung, was a Nepalese Gurkha recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, awarded for his actions while serving as a Rifleman with the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Gurkha Rifles in Burma during the Second World War.

Alec Nathan Wildenstein was an American billionaire businessman, art dealer, racehorse owner, and breeder.

Aimé Fernand David Césaire was a Francophone and Martinican poet, an Afro-Caribbean author and politician from the region of Martinique. He was "one of the founders of the négritude movement in Francophone literature". His works include the book-length poem Cahier d'un retour au pays natal (1939), Une Tempête, a response to Shakespeare's play The Tempest, and Discours sur le colonialisme, an essay describing the strife between the colonizers and the colonized. His works have been translated into many languages.

Robert Arthur Knox was an English actor who portrayed the character of Marcus Belby in the film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and had signed to appear in the planned film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Alexei Andreyevich Cherepanov was a Russian professional ice hockey winger who played for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Previously, Cherepanov had played for Avangard's lower-level teams, and then for the senior men's team in the Russian Super League. Cherepanov was selected in the first round of the 2007 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft by the New York Rangers, although he never played professional hockey in North America. Cherepanov represented Russia in international play, and played in several tournaments at the junior level. He won a gold medal at the 2007 World Under-18 Championships. While playing at the Under-20 level, Cherepanov won silver and bronze medals in 2007 and 2008.