In 2008, the world of entertainment said good-bye to a number of notable names in movies, television and music. Some of those deaths signaled the slowly declining end of the golden era of classic Hollywood. On the other hand, some died suddenly, without warning, as they were about to reach a pinnacle in their careers. Then, there were those who were just beginning, but like James Dean, will be forever young.
At the beginning of the year, two young actors died before they could show the world of entertainment what they had to offer. On January 15, 2008, actor Brad Renfro was found dead in his Los Angeles apartment of an apparent drug overdose. He was only 25. The Tennessee native gained public notice for his portrayal of Mark Sway in the 1994 movie The Client, with Susan Sarandon and Tommie Lee Jones. Despite his inexperience, he effectively pulled off the role of a young witness and received critical acclaim. However, like many young stars, he began faltering under the pressure and succumbed to drug abuse. Eventually, his arrest record surpassed his acting resume. At the time of his death, it looked as if he had finally turned a corner in his life.
A week later on January 22, 2008, Heath Ledger was found unconscious in his New York apartment. Efforts to revive the 28 year old failed. According to a number of published reports, Ledger had been having problems sleeping, so he was taking sleep aids and antidepressants. He was also suffering from an ailment that required antibiotics. Authorities concluded that a lethal mixture of too many medications lead to his death. Unlike Renfro, Ledger didn’t seem to have trouble transitioning from teen roles to adult roles. He didn’t shy away from controversial roles, like his Academy Award-nominated role in Brokeback Mountain. At the time of his death, he had just completed The Dark Knight, a film in which he received a posthumous Golden Globe nomination. Whether individuals like him as an actor or not, the saddest part about his death is that his daughter Matilda will grow up without her dad.
Another surprising death in 2008 was the passing of comedian Bernie Mac. Mac died of complications from pneumonia on August 9, 2008. He was only 50. After his death, many of his fans learned that he suffered from sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disease that caused inflammation. Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, he came to fame in the 1990s as part of The Original Kings of Comedy, with fellow comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D.L. Hughley. He was able to create a comedy series, The Bernie Mac Show, based on elements of his real life. He received an Emmy nomination for his role on the show. In addition, he played supporting roles in a number of movies, including the Oceans movies and Transformers. At the time of his death, he had just completed Soul Men with Samuel L. Jackson and Isaac Hayes, who died the following day on August 10.
Hollywood saw the end of an era with the deaths of Charlton Heston and Paul Newman. Heston died on April 5, 2008 at his Beverly Hills home. He was 84 and had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for a number of years. To many people, he will always be Moses in The Ten Commandments or Coronel Taylor in The Planet of the Apes. For others, he will be remembered for his opposition to Ice-T’s song “Cop Killer” and his belief in gun rights and other political stances. Love him or hate him, he spells the end of a generation of movie stars. Newman, who died on September 26 at age 83, also belonged to that generation of actors. His death from cancer and Heston’s death signifies the end of a movie era where individuals cheered for heroes and grew to love the anti-heroes.
There were other notable celebrity deaths in 2008 that will be missed. Some of them include Golden Girls actress Estelle Getty, director Sydney Pollack, actor Harvey Korman, actress and dancer Cyd Charisse, actress Susan Pleshette, musicians Levi Stubbs and Bo Diddley, and 1950s pinup Bettie Page. For a list of other departed notables, visit http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/the-departed-those-we-lost-in-2008.
