List of Famous people who died in 2008

George David Low was an American aerospace executive and a NASA astronaut. He was born in 1956 to Dr. George Low, the Manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office. With undergraduate degrees in physics and mechanical engineering and a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics, he worked in the JPL at the California Institute of Technology in the early 80's, before being picked as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1984. In addition to holding some technical assignments, he logged more than 700 hours in space, before he left NASA in 1996 to pursue a career in the private sector.

Nunzio Gallo was an Italian singer. He was born in Naples and represented his country in the 1957 Eurovision Song Contest, coming 6th. The song he performed, "Corde Della Mia Chitarra", is famous for being the longest song ever played for Eurovision at 5:09 before the new rules came into place. Gallo was also an actor appearing in over 20 films. Gallo suffered severe brain haemorrhage in September 2007 from which he never fully recovered. He died on 22 February 2008 in Telese Terme.

Georges Adda, was a Tunisian politician and trade unionist, and a former leader of the Tunisian Communist Party.

José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Meléndez was a Mexican–American character animator, voice actor, film director and producer. He is best known for his work on the Peanuts animated specials. Before Peanuts, he previously worked as an animator for Walt Disney Productions, Warner Bros. Cartoons, and UPA. Melendez provided the voices of Snoopy and Woodstock in the latter as well. In a career spanning over 60 years, he won six Primetime Emmy Awards and was nominated for thirteen more. In addition, he was nominated for an Oscar and five Grammy Awards. The two Peanuts specials, A Charlie Brown Christmas and What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown?, which he directed, were each honored with a Peabody Award.

Geneviève Sorya was a French stage and film actress. She was also known as the mother of Academy Award-nominated actress Anouk Aimée.

Frederick Dewayne Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives for modern jazz and bebop.

Beno Eckmann was a Swiss mathematician who was a student of Heinz Hopf.

Antonio Gava was an Italian politician and member of Christian Democracy (DC). Son of the 13 times minister Silvio Gava, Antonio was one of the Christian Democratic Party's leading power-brokers in Campania over a 25-year period, beginning in 1968 and ending in 1993, when he was charged with membership of a criminal organisation. Together with Arnaldo Forlani and Vincenzo Scotti, he was the leader of DC's current known as "Alleanza Popolare".