Van Johnson died he was 92

Charles "Van" Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during World War II.

Johnson was the embodiment of the "boy next door," playing "the red-haired, freckle-faced soldier, sailor or B-25 bomber pilot who used to live down the street" in MGM movies during the war years.[1]

Johnson married former stage actress Eve Abbott (1914—2004) on January 25, 1947, the day after her divorce from actor Keenan Wynn was finalized.[2] The newlyweds had a daughter, Schuyler, one year later, but the marriage ended bitterly. "She wiped me out in the ugliest divorce in Hollywood history," Johnson said.[2]

Books written in recent years have claimed that Johnson was bisexual. At the time of Eve Johnson's death, she was quoted as saying that her marriage had been engineered by MGM: "They needed their `big star' to be married to quell rumours about his sexual preferences, and unfortunately, I was `It' - the only woman he would marry".[3] The Johnsons separated in 1961, [4] and divorced in 1968.[3]

Johnson underwent treatment for skin cancer in 1963.

He died on December 12, 2008 of natural causes at the Tappan Zee Manor, an assisted living center in Nyack, New York.[4]

Bettie Page Dies she was 85

Bettie Page (April 22, 1923 – December 11, 2008)[2] was an American model who became famous in the 1950s for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos. She was also one of the earliest Playmates of the Month for Playboy magazine.
"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," Playboy founder Hugh Hefner told the Associated Press. Her later life was marked by depression, violent mood swings and several years in a state mental institution.[3][4] While she faded into obscurity in the 1960s after converting to Christianity and serving as a Baptist missionary in Angola,[5] she experienced a resurgence of popularity in the 1980s and had a significant cult following. Her look, including her jet black hair and trademark bangs, has been iconic within the rockabilly subculture and has influenced many artists.

On December 6, 2008, Page was hospitalized in critical condition according to Mark Roesler, her long-time friend and business agent. Roesler was quoted by the Associated Press as saying Page had suffered a heart attack and by Los Angeles television station KNBC as claiming Page was suffering from pneumonia. A family friend said Page was in a coma, a claim not denied by Roesler.[22][23] Page had been on life support since her heart attack in early December until her family agreed to discontinue it. She died at 6:41 PM PST on December 11, 2008.[3][9]

Richard Martin died he was 86

Thomas Richard Martin (January 30, 1922 – May 24, 2008) was an American comedian and director, best known for his role as the cohost of the sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973.
Early in his career, Martin was a staff writer for Duffy's Tavern, a radio situation comedy. In 1952, Martin and Dan Rowan formed the comedy team Rowan and Martin, and played in nightclubs across the United States and overseas. They were a quick and easy match; their first comedy routine, in which Martin played a drunk heckling a Shakespearean performer, was a mainstay of their live act for years. The duo could frequently be seen as host-performers on NBC's Colgate Comedy Hour, alternating with Martin and Lewis and other more established names. In 1958 they starred in a feature film, Hal Kanter's comedy western Once Upon a Horse, which failed to catch on with moviegoers. In 1960, their contract with NBC was cancelled four years early by mutual consent.
1962 found Martin working solo, playing next-door neighbor to Lucille Ball in her comeback sitcom The Lucy Show, a role he played intermittently until 1964. The duo returned to the nightclub circuit until 1966, when they were tapped to host the summer-replacement series for The Dean Martin Show.

Martin also established himself as an efficient comedy director. Starting on The Bob Newhart Show, he directed for over a dozen series. Martin later became the chief director of the 1980s sitcom Newhart.
He married Playboy playmate Dolly Read on August 22, 1971. They divorced in 1975, but remarried in 1978 and remained married until his death. Martin was formerly married to Peggy Connelly. He has two sons, Richard Martin and Cary Martin.

Martin died on May 24, 2008 of breathing complications in Santa Monica, California. He lost the use of a lung as a teenager and suffered respiratory problems late in life.[1]

Sydney Irwin Pollack died he was 74

Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer and actor. Born in Lafayette, Indiana to Russian Jewish immigrants, Pollack studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where he later taught acting. He began directing television shows in the 1960s before moving to films.

Pollack directed more than 21 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 films or shows, and produced over 44 films. Some of his best known works include Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Way We Were (1973), Three Days of the Condor (1975) and Absence of Malice (1981). His 1985 film Out of Africa won him Academy Awards for directing and producing; he was also nominated for Best Director Oscars for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? and Tootsie, the latter of which he also appeared in. Later films included Havana (1990), The Firm (1993), Sabrina (1995) and The Interpreter (2005).

Pollack was married to Claire Griswold, a former student of his, from 1958 until his death. They had three children: Rachel, Rebecca, and Steven Pollack. Steven Pollack died in a plane crash in 1993.[6][7] Sydney's brother Bernie Pollack is a costume designer, producer, and actor.
Concerns about Pollack's health had surfaced in 2007 when suddenly he stepped out of directing HBO's television film Recount.[8] The film aired on May 25, 2008. Pollack died the next day of stomach cancer at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, surrounded by family.[6][9] His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered along the runway at the Van Nuys Airport in Van Nuys, California.

Comedian Harvey Korman Dies at 81

Harvey Herschel Korman (February 15, 1927 – May 29, 2008) was an American comedic actor who performed in television and movie productions beginning in 1960. His big break was being a featured performer on The Danny Kaye Show, but he was probably best remembered for his performances on the sketch comedy series The Carol Burnett Show and in the comedy films of Mel Brooks, most notably as Hedley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles.

Korman was married to Donna Ehlert from 1960 to 1977, and they had two children together: Chris and Maria Korman. He married Deborah (née Fritz) in 1982 and was married to her until his death. They had two daughters together, Kate and Laura Korman.

Korman died on May 29, 2008, at UCLA Medical Center as the result of complications from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm he had suffered four months previously.[7][8]

Stanley Winston died he was 62

Stanley Winston[1] (April 7, 1946 – June 15, 2008) was an American visual effects supervisor, make-up artist, and film director. He was best known for his work in the Terminator series, the Jurassic Park series, Aliens, the Predator series, and Edward Scissorhands.[2][3][4] He won a total of four Academy Awards for his work.
Winston, a frequent collaborator with director James Cameron, owned more than one effects studio, including Stan Winston Digital. The established areas of expertise for Winston were in makeup, puppets and practical effects, but he had recently expanded his studio to encompass digital effects as well.

These were awards that Stan was nominated for:

1982: Oscar Nomination For Best Makeup: Heartbeeps
1987: Won Oscar For Best Visual Effects: Aliens
1988: Oscar Nomination For Best Visual Effects: Predator
1991: Oscar Nomination For Best Makeup: Edward Scissorhands
1992: Won 2 Oscars - Best Visual Effects & Best Makeup: Terminator 2: Judgment Day
1993: Oscar Nomination For Best Makeup: Batman Returns
1994: Won Oscar For Best Visual Effects: Jurassic Park
1998: Oscar Nomination For Best Visual Effects: The Lost World: Jurassic Park
2002: Oscar Nomination For Best Visual Effects: A.I.

Stan Winston passed away on June 15, 2008, in Malibu, California after suffering for seven years from multiple myeloma.[2] A spokeswoman reported that he "died peacefully at home surrounded by family."[3] Arnold Schwarzenegger made a public speech about his death, and Jon Favreau dedicated his Spike TV Scream Award to him upon receiving the award for Best Sci-Fi Movie for Iron Man. Winston was survived by his wife and two children, actor Matt Winston and Debbie Winston.

Levi Stubbles died he was 72

Levi Stubbles (June 6, 1936 – October 17, 2008), better known by the stage name Levi Stubbs, was an American baritone singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the Motown R&B group The Four Tops.

Born in Detroit in 1936[1], Stubbs began his professional singing career with friends Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton, forming a singing group called The Four Aims in 1954. Two years later, after having signed with Chess Records, the group changed their name to the Four Tops - this was to avoid confusion with the then-popular Ames Brothers[2] . The group began as a supper-club act before finally signing to Motown Records in 1963; by the end of the decade, the Four Tops had over a dozen hits to their name. The most popular of the Four Tops hits, all of which featured Stubbs on lead vocals, include "Baby I Need Your Loving", "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)", "It's the Same Old Song", "Reach Out I'll Be There", "Standing in the Shadows of Love", "Bernadette", "Still Water (Love)", and "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)".

Although Stubbs was a natural baritone, most of the Four Tops' hits were written in a tenor range to give the lead vocals a sense of urgency. The Four Tops were elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and have sold over 50 million records worldwide[3].

Stubbs and the other Tops remained a team until Payton died in 1997, at which point Theo Peoples took his place. Benson died on July 1, 2005. Since 2000, Theo Peoples has taken Stubbs' place as the lead singer of the Four Tops, with Ronnie McNeir taking the place that Payton originally held. Duke Fakir is the only surviving member of The Four Tops' original lineup.

As an actor, he provided the voice of the carnivorous plant "Audrey II" in the movie version of the musical Little Shop of Horrors (1986) and the voice of Mother Brain in the animated TV series Captain N: The Game Master (1989).[4] Stubbs has also guest starred in a number of TV shows as himself.

Stubbs was a cousin of soul singer Jackie Wilson.[5] He also had a brother, Joe, a member of The Falcons, The Contours and The Originals, who died February 5, 1998.[6]

Stubbs and his wife Clineice were married from 1960 until his death, and had five children. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1995, and later, after a stroke, he was no longer able to tour with the group. Levi Stubbs passed away in his sleep on October 17, 2008 at his home in Detroit.[7]