List of Famous people who died in 2008

Forrest James Ackerman was an American magazine editor, science fiction writer and literary agent, a founder of science fiction fandom, a leading expert on science fiction, horror, and fantasy films, and acknowledged as the world's most avid collector of genre books and movie memorabilia. He was based in Los Angeles, California.

Kunal Singh, popularly known as Kunal, was an Indian actor who mainly appeared in Tamil films. He is best known for his lead role in Kathir's Kadhalar Dhinam (1999), following which he appeared in 16 more films. His death in 2008 from apparent suicide garnered significant media attention.

Jonathan Joseph James was an American hacker who was the first juvenile incarcerated for cybercrime in the United States. The South Florida native was 15 years old at the time of the first offense and 16 years old on the date of his sentencing. He died at his Pinecrest, Florida home on May 18, 2008, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Kenneth Eugene Parnell was an American convicted sex offender, child rapist, and kidnapper infamously known for perpetrating the abductions of seven year-old Steven Stayner and five year-old Timothy White in Merced, California. He was convicted in 2004 for attempting to purchase a child for sex and died in prison.

Claude Farell, real name Monika Burg, also known as Paulette Colar, Catherine Farell, Paulette Kolar and Paulette von Suchan was an Austrian actress.

Suzzanna Martha Frederika van Osch, better known as Suzzanna, was an Indonesian actress of Indo descent. Known as the "horror queen of Indonesian cinema", she is well known in particular in Indonesia for portraying spirits, witches, and other supernatural beings.

Wang Yung-ching, also called YC Wang, was an entrepreneur who founded a large business empire in Taiwan. According to the 2008 Forbes survey, he was the 178th richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of US$5.5 billion.

William Frank Buckley Jr. was an American public intellectual and conservative author and commentator. In 1955, Buckley founded National Review, a magazine that stimulated the conservative movement in the late-20th century United States. Buckley hosted 1,429 episodes of the public affairs television show Firing Line (1966–1999), the longest-running public affairs show in American television history with a single host, where he became known for his distinctive Mid-Atlantic idiolect and wide vocabulary.

Robert Prosky was an American actor. He became a well-known supporting actor in the 1980s with his roles in Thief (1981), Christine (1983), The Natural (1984), and Broadcast News (1987).

François Sterchele was a Belgian professional footballer who played for Germinal Beerschot and Club Brugge. The striker was the top scorer of the Jupiler League in 2006–07. Sterchele died in a single-person car accident on 8 May 2008.