This person died 2024, age 76. His TV show went into national syndication in 1980 and ran until 1984, after which he developed an array of products and performances to replace it. He described himself as a loner with few friends, whose main companions were pet dalmatians and live-in maids. Even people who encountered him by chance said he was exactly as he appeared on TV: hyperkinetic, authentic, and totally outrageous. People Magazine once called him “a hyperkinetic elf in an emerald green tracksuit and the clown prince of fitness.” Today’s dead celebrity is Richard Simmons.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like Episode 65 Steve Irwin (Crikey Inner Child) and Episode 7 Joan Rivers (Stilletto Comic).

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NYT Obituary for Richard Simmons

Missing Richard Simmons podcast by Dan Taberski 

Richard Simmons on Who’s Line is it Anyway?

Hot mic moment, behind the scenes with Richard Simmons

Richard Simmons on Letterman (1986–2000s, multiple clips)

Richard Simmons on General Hospital

Dead or Alive quiz game

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This person died in 2003 at age 87. He had craggy good looks, lanky grace, and a measured voice. He was nominated for the Oscar five times, and his rare attempts at unsympathetic roles usually failed. He conveyed a quiet dignity, served as president of the Motion Picture Academy, and was active in the American Cancer Society, the National Endowment for the Arts, and other causes. His 1962 Oscar-winning role cast him as Atticus Finch, a small-town Southern lawyer who defies public sentiment to defend a Black man accused of rape. Today’s dead celebrity is Gregory Peck. 

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like Episode 71Sidney Poitier (Defiant One) and Episode 103 James Garner (Maverick Law Man).

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NYT Obituary for Gregory Peck

Gregory Peck official website

Gregory Peck Lifetime AFI Achievement Award

Gregory Peck Presidential Medal of Freedom

ACLU of Southern California

Peck narrates ad against Robert Bork SCOTUS nomination

Dead or Alive quiz game

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This person died in 2018, age 95. He began reading Shakespeare at age 10 while also devouring pulp magazines, the novels of Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Mark Twain, and the swashbuckler movies of Errol Flynn. He could be startlingly prolific— once saying “almost everything I’ve ever written I could finish in one sitting.” In 1961, he and a partner produced the first issue of Fantastic Four for a company known as Marvel, and he went on to co-create Spider-Man. Today’s dead celebrity is Stan Lee.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like Episode 53 Heartwarming Humor  (Louie Anderson) and Episode 97 Time Pilgrim (Kurt Vonnegut).

Famous & Gravy is created and hosted by Michael Osborne. This episode features guest co-host Isaac Kestenbaum. Production by Allie Arrazola, with assistance from Jacob Weiss. Original music by Kevin Strang.

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NYT Obituary for Stan Lee 

Washington Post obituary for Stan Lee

True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee (Abraham Riesman biography)

Fantastic Four #10 (1963), new fan letters section

Key & Peele: "Stan Lee Pitch Meeting" sketch

Stan Lee cameo in Mallrats (1995)

Dead or Alive quiz game

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This person died 2012, age 61. She was known for keeping her cool under stress. She politely endured a barrage of questions focused on her sex. She once said, “It’s too bad this is such a big deal. It’s too bad our society isn’t further along.”  By the time she began studying laser physics at Stanford, women had already broken through into the physics department—once a boys’ club.  In her early days at NASA, she trained in parachute jumping, water survival, weightlessness, and the huge G-forces of a rocket launch. Today’s dead celebrity is Sally Ride.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like Episode 17 Modest Moonwalker (Neil Armstrong) and Episode 107 Corgi Whisperer (Queen Elizabeth II)

Famous & Gravy is created and hosted by Michael Osborne. This episode features guest co-host Michelle Dahlenburg. Production by Evan Sherer, with assistance from Jacob Weiss. Original music by Kevin Strang.

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Official U.S. Mint page for Sally Ride Quarter

Sally Ride Science at UC San Diego

NYT obituary for Sally Ride

Sesame Street clip featuring Sally Ride

Dead or Alive quiz game

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Famous & Gravy official website

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Today on Famous & Gravy, we’re sharing an episode from one of our favorite history podcasts—History Daily, hosted by Lindsay Graham.

Why do we think Famous & Gravy listeners will enjoy this show? Because, like us, they believe that history is human. Each daily episode zooms in on a single moment in time, offering a compelling narrative that’s both immersive and full of unexpected insight.

In this episode, we hear the story of how David Bowie—then still going by David Jones—morphed into his most iconic alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. It’s a tale of transformation, inspiration, and bold creative reinvention. If you liked our Bowie episode, you’ll love this.

Happy listening—and Famous & Gravy will be back next week with our regularly scheduled programming.

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This person died in 2018, age 76. He published a non-fiction book in 1988 that has sold more than 10 million copies and inspired a documentary film by Errol Morris. He married twice; fathered three children; and was not above appearing on “The Simpsons,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation” or “The Big Bang Theory.” In 1963 he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, and told he had only a few years to live. In 1973 he set out to apply quantum theory, the weird laws that govern subatomic reality, to black holes. Today’s dead celebrity is Stephen Hawking.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Episode 100 “Divine Neighbor” (Fred Rogers) and Episode 17 “Modest Moonwalker” (Neil Armstrong).

Famous & Gravy is created and hosted by Michael Osborne. This episode features guest co-host Dr. Nicholas Weiler.

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NYT obituary for Stephen Hawking

Errol Morris documentary A Brief History of Time

Stephen Hawking on BBC Desert Island Discs (1992)

Stephen Hawking on The Simpsons

Stephen Hawking on Star Trek: The Next Generation

Stephen Hawking interview on John Oliver: Last Week Tonight

Dead or Alive quiz game

Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads

Famous & Gravy official website

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This person died 2020, age 41. He won an Academy Award in 2018 – the first African American to win for best animated short. He was fueled by a seemingly endless reservoir of self-confidence. He gave himself the nickname Black Mamba. Today’s dead celebrity is Kobe Bryant.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Episode 49 “Hammer Time” (Hank Aaron), Episode 31 “The Greatest” (Muhammad Ali), and Episode 69 “Foul House” (Bob Saget).

Famous & Gravy is created and hosted by Michael Osborne. This episode features guest co-host Sara Murphy.

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NYT obituary for Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant’s Oscar-winning short film Dear Basketball

Jay Shetty interview with Kobe Bryant (On Purpose podcast)

Modern Family cameo clip

Jimmy Kimmel interview: Kobe talks about Gianna and being a Girl Dad

Dead or Alive quiz game

Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads

Famous & Gravy official website

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This person died in 2008, age 66. He changed his major from English to anthropology after a professor’s harsh critique, graduating summa cum laude from Harvard in 1964. He earned a medical degree five years later, then walked away from clinical science altogether. He used fiction to explore the moral and political problems posed by modern technology and scientific breakthroughs. His books sold in the tens of millions and almost routinely became movies, many of them blockbusters like "Jurassic Park", "The Lost World," as well as "Rising Sun." He juggled roles as a novelist, screenwriter, director, and producer in both film and TV. Today’s dead celebrity is Michael Crichton.

If you liked this episode, you might also enjoy Episode 97 "Time Pilgrim" (Kurt Vonnegut) and Episode 74 "Masterclass Act" (Philip Seymour Hoffman).

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Michael Osborne. This episode features guest co-host John Watts and is produced by Evan Sherer.

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NYT obituary for Michael Crichton

2007 Charlie Rose interview

1970s Dick Cavett appearance

1992 TED Talk

1999 Predictions about the future

Dead or Alive quiz game

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This person died in 2009, age 59. He began his career as an advertising copywriter in Chicago. While visiting New York during his advertising days, he hung around the offices of National Lampoon magazine and was published when he showed a gift for comedy. As a writer, he occasionally wrote under his pen name, Edmond Dantès, the real name of the Dumas hero in The Count of Monte Cristo. He faded from Hollywood in the early 1990s, and some surmised that he had stepped away simply because, for all his successes, he did not particularly like the film business. His greatest professional effect came from a series of teen-oriented films he directed in the 1980s, but his biggest success, in box-office terms, was the Home Alone series, of which he was the writer and a producer. Today’s dead celebrity is John Hughes.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 104 Community Gardener (Penny Marshall) and Episode 29 Zen Comedian (Garry Shandling).

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Evan Sherer and features guest co-host Jennifer Keishin Armstrong.

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NYT obituary for John Hughes

Rare 1991 interview with John Hughes

NPR remembrance of John Hughes’s legacy

Ferris Bueller Fight Club theory

Ferris Bueller Groundhog Day theory

John Candy tribute montage

Dead or Alive quiz game

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This person died in 2011, age 93. She spoke openly in support of the Equal Rights Amendment, endorsed legalized abortion, and discussed premarital sex. Her dependency on pills began in 1964 after a neck injury, and her drinking worsened as her husband’s political career advanced. When Gerald Ford lost the 1976 election, it was she who read the official concession speech with smiling grace. Today’s dead celebrity is Betty Ford.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Episode 48 What About Bob (Bob Dole) and Episode 47 Proud Mary (Mary Tyler Moore).

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Evan Sherer and features guest co-host Wiley Hodges.

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CBS Remembrance of Betty Ford

Short segment of 1974 60 Minutes Interview

Betty Ford’s Lecture on Addiction and Recovery at Hazelton

Betty Ford cameo on the Mary Tyler Moore Show

The Simpsons I’m Checking In

Dead or Alive quiz game

Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads

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