| 138871 | December 8 | Death | 1978 – Golda Meir, Ukrainian-Israeli educator and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1898) |
| 138872 | December 8 | Death | 1980 – John Lennon, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Beatles, Plastic Ono Band, The Quarrymen) (b. 1940) |
| 138873 | December 8 | Death | 1981 – Big Walter Horton, American harmonica player (b. 1918) |
| 138874 | December 8 | Death | 1982 – Bram Behr, Surinamese journalist and politician (b. 1951) |
| 138875 | December 8 | Death | 1982 – André Kamperveen, Surinamese footballer and manager (b. 1924) |
| 138876 | December 8 | Death | 1982 – Marty Robbins, American singer-songwriter and race car driver (b. 1925) |
| 138877 | December 8 | Death | 1983 – Keith Holyoake, New Zealand farmer and politician, 26th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1904) |
| 138878 | December 8 | Death | 1983 – Slim Pickens, American actor and singer (b. 1919) |
| 138879 | December 8 | Death | 1984 – Luther Adler, American actor (b. 1903) |
| 138880 | December 8 | Death | 1984 – Robert Jay Mathews, American militant leader, founded The Order (b. 1953) |
| 138881 | December 8 | Death | 1991 – Kimberly Bergalis, American HIV victim (b. 1968) |
| 138882 | December 8 | Death | 1991 – Buck Clayton, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1911) |
| 138883 | December 8 | Death | 1992 – William Shawn, American journalist (b. 1917) |
| 138884 | December 8 | Death | 1993 – Yevgeny Minayev, Russian weightlifter (b. 1933) |
| 138885 | December 8 | Death | 1994 – Antônio Carlos Jobim, Brazilian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1927) |
| 138886 | December 8 | Death | 1996 – Howard Rollins, American actor (b. 1950) |
| 138887 | December 8 | Death | 1996 – Kashiwado Tsuyoshi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 47th Yokozuna (b. 1938) |
| 138888 | December 8 | Death | 1997 – Bob Bell, American clown (b. 1922) |
| 138889 | December 8 | Death | 1998 – Michael Craze, English actor (b. 1942) |
| 138890 | December 8 | Death | 1999 – Péter Kuczka, Hungarian poet and author (b. 1923) |
| 138891 | December 8 | Death | 2001 – Mirza Delibašić, Bosnian basketball player (b. 1954) |
| 138892 | December 8 | Death | 2001 – Betty Holberton, American computer programmer (b. 1917) |
| 138893 | December 8 | Death | 2001 – Don Tennant, American businessman (b. 1922) |
| 138894 | December 8 | Death | 2003 – Rubén González, Cuban pianist (Buena Vista Social Club and Estrellas de Areito) (b. 1919) |
| 138895 | December 8 | Death | 2004 – Dimebag Darrell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Pantera, Damageplan, and Gasoline) (b. 1966) |
| 138896 | December 8 | Death | 2005 – Georgiy Zhzhonov, Russian actor and author (b. 1915) |
| 138897 | December 8 | Death | 2006 – Martha Tilton, American singer and actress (b. 1915) |
| 138898 | December 8 | Death | 2006 – José Uribe, Dominican baseball player (b. 1959) |
| 138899 | December 8 | Death | 2007 – Gerardo García Pimentel, Mexican journalist (b. 1983) |
| 138900 | December 8 | Death | 2008 – Kerryn McCann, Australian runner (b. 1967) |