winner of the 2008 Melbourne Cup 18 April – William Yates, 88, politician 19 April – Carl Williams, 39, murderer 21 April – Sir Laurence Muir, 85, businessman and philanthropist 23 April – Georgia Lee, 89, jazz and blues singer 23 April – Peter Porter, 81, poet 29 April – Kevin Humphreys, 80, rugby league administrator 2 May – Andrew McFarlane, 33, motocross racer 2 May – Murray Nicoll, 66, journalist and broadcaster, Ash Wednesday fires commentator 3 May – Merv McIntosh, 87, Australian rules footballer 10 May – Jeff Shaw, 60, New South Wales Attorney-General and Supreme Court judge 13 May – Peter Provan, 73, rugby league footballer 18 May – Don Day, 86, politician 21 May – Adrian Cruickshank, 73, politician 25 May – Alan Hickinbotham, 84, Australian rules footballer and businessman 29 May – Randolph Stow, 74, writer 30 May – Dame Pat Evison, 86, television actress 2 June – Michael Schildberger, 72, journalist 7 June – Adriana Xenides, 54, television personality 18 June – John Whitelaw, 89, soldier 20 June – Ken Talbot, 59, businessman 28 June – Peter Bowers, 80, journalist 4 July – Alf Howard, 104, explorer 7 July – Brian O'Shaughnessy, 84, philosopher 9 July – Jessica Anderson, 93, writer 14 July – Charles Mackerras, 84, conductor 19 July – Jon Cleary, 92, novelist 19 July – David Warren, 85, inventor of the flight data recorder 26 July – Sir Brian Bell, 82, businessman in Papua New Guinea 27 July – Alan Gilbert, 65, historian and education administrator 28 July – Thomas Anderson, Olympic sailor 30 July – Roy Smith, New South Wales politician 2 August – Ian Castles, 75, statistician, economist and public servant 4 August – Jim Kennan, 64, lawyer and politician, Deputy Premier of Victoria (1990–1992) 5 August – Sue Napier, 62, politician, Deputy Premier of Tasmania (1996–1998) 6 August – Jeff McLean, 63, rugby union footballer 30 August – Myrtle Edwards, 89, cricketer and softball player 13 September – Gus Williams, 73, musician 23 September – Malcolm Douglas, 69, bushman and documentary maker 6 October – David Rowbotham, 86, writer 10 October – Dame Joan Sutherland, 83, opera singer (died in Switzerland) 17 October – Ken Wriedt, 83, ALP politician 21 October – Sir Leslie Froggatt, 90, businessman 4 November – James Freud, 51, musician (Models) 14 November – Bobbi Sykes, 67, Aboriginal rights activist 22 November – Frank