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This person died in 1997 at age 53. He was born in Roswell, New Mexico, the son of an Air Force pilot who later taught him to fly. He enrolled at Texas Tech in 1961 to study architecture, performed at coffeehouses, then dropped out and moved to Los Angeles, where he adopted a stage name. His first wife once said, “If you listen to his songs, there’s a lot of loneliness there. I don’t think he ever really got how much people loved him.” In songs like Take Me Home, Country Roads, Sunshine on My Shoulders, and Rocky Mountain High, he captured a rural American ideal built on nature, beauty, and unwavering devotion. Today’s dead celebrity is John Denver.

If you liked this episode, you might also like Episode 100 Divine Neighbor (Fred Rogers) or or Episode 99 Crikey Inner Child (Steve Irwin).

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Transcript of this episode

NYT Obituary for John Denver

John Denver testifies before Congress

Rocky Mountain High, Live at Red Rocks 1974

John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together

People Magazine retrospective, How Did John Denver Die?

Dead or Alive quiz game

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Famous & Gravy official website

Singer-songwriter John Denver gets the full Famous & Gravy treatment in this biography-driven podcast episode, exploring the stories behind “Rocky Mountain High,” “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “Sunshine on My Shoulders,” and more. We dig into his nature-connected songwriting, environmental activism, battles with fame and depression, PMRC censorship testimony, Muppet cameos, and a Dumb & Dumber joke to ask a bigger question: would you actually want John Denver’s life?

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This person died in 2019, age 88. Her father was a shipyard welder who took such pride in his work that, according to many accounts of her life, when he finished a perfect seam, he would write his initials on it—hidden in the skeleton of the ship. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from Howard University with a major in English and a minor in classics in 1953, she earned a master’s in English from Cornell in 1955. In 1958 she married an architect from Jamaica, but they divorced in 1964. Her novels appeared regularly on the New York Times bestseller list, were featured multiple times on Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club, and became the subject of countless critical studies. Today’s dead celebrity is Toni Morrison.

If you liked this episode, you might also like Episode 119 Hungry Ghost (Anthony Bourdain) or Episode 118 Frizzy Fitness (Richard Simmons).

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Transcript of this episode

NYT Obituary for Toni Morrison

Charlie Rose interview (1993): Morrison on race as a mental construct

Bill Moyers conversation with Toni Morrison on “Master Narrative” (1980s)

Toni Morrison’s Nobel Lecture (1993)

Dead or Alive quiz game

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Toni Morrison reshaped the American story. In this episode of Famous & Gravy, Michael Osborne and guest host Kiely Walter reflect on the Nobel Laureate’s journey from editor to author, from imposter syndrome to self-love. They discuss her concept of the “master narrative,” her wisdom as a mother and teacher, and her understanding that goodness is more interesting than evil. Drawing from archival interviews and intimate conversation, Beloved Light asks what Morrison’s life teaches us about wholeness, grace, and the stories that set us free.

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This person died in 2024, age 93. He started out in destitute days working in a diner and living in a $19-a-month cold-water flat. He collected Tonys, Golden Globes, Emmys, Kennedy Center Honors, and an Honorary Academy Award. He once appeared in 18 plays in 30 months, often made a half-dozen films a year, alongside his TV work – and he did it for half a century. He was a bear of a man—six-foot-two with a barrel chest, large head, and emotional fire. He did voiceover work in the original Star Wars trilogy and in The Lion King. Today’s dead celebrity is James Earl Jones.

If you liked this episode, you might also like Episode 87 Simply the Best (Tina Turner), Episode 101 Soul Queen (Aretha Franklin), or Episode 95 Total Consciousness (Harold Ramis). 

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NYT Obituary for James Earl Jones

Kurt Vonnegut letter read by James Earl Jones (Letters Live, 2018) 

James Earl Jones A&E Biography

The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror — “The Raven” 

James Earl Jones counts to 10 on Sesame Street (1969)

Dead or Alive quiz game

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Famous & Gravy official website

James Earl Jones was an actor whose stutter became his superpower—the voice behind Darth Vader, Mufasa, and a towering Shakespearean career. Michael and Nichelle unpack leadership without ego, stage-first discipline, and why he championed contentment over happiness. Keywords: James Earl Jones, Rolling Thunder, Darth Vader, The Lion King, Mufasa, Othello, Shakespeare, stuttering, voice actor, contentment, Famous & Gravy.

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This person died in 2023, age 56. As a child she said her mother physically abused her. As a teen she was arrested for shoplifting and sent to reform school. She would later convert to Islam, adopting a new name while still answering to the one the world knew. She never shrank from controversy—most famously tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live to protest Catholic Church abuse. Today’s dead celebrity is Sinead O’Connor.

If you liked this episode, you might also like Episode 120 Crazy Sane (Waylon Jennings) or Episode 87 Simply the Best (Tina Turner).

MEDIA CLIPPINGS

14th Street Studios

Hustling Around Town, with Rachel Huss

Better Call Daddy, with Reena Friedman Watts, Apple Podcasts

You Mic, with Freddy Crus, Apple Podcast

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Transcript of this episode

NYT Obituary for Sinead O’Connor

Sinead O’Connor 1992 SNL appearance

Nothing Compares 2 U official video

Fearless Documentary

Sinéad O'Connor aka Shuhada’ Sadaqat on The Tommy Tiernan Show in 2020

Dead or Alive quiz game

Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads

Famous & Gravy official website

Sinead O’Connor was an Irish singer and activist whose haunting voice made Nothing Compares 2 U a global anthem. Known for tearing up a photo of the Pope on Saturday Night Live, she became a rebel icon who challenged the Catholic Church scandal long before others dared. A Dublin musician shaped by pain and conviction, O’Connor mixed mental health and faith, art and protest, earning both exile and admiration as one of pop’s most fearless truth-tellers.

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This person died in 2016, age 89. Her father was a prominent lawyer with a lofty sense of civic duty. At one point, she transferred to the University of Alabama to study law and go into the family business. In 1949 she moved to New York City, working as a reservations agent for Eastern Airlines and later BOAC. At night, she wrote at a desk made from a door. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 1960, but her public appearances were so rare that each counted as important news. Today’s dead celebrity is Harper Lee.

If you liked this episode, you might also like Episode 117 Resonant Dignity (Gregory Peck), 102 Magical Thinker (Joan Didion), or Episode 097 Time Pilgrim (Kurt Vonnegut). 

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Harper Lee rare interview To Kill a Mockingbird 1964

Gregory Peck Harper Lee Atticus Finch Oscar speech

Obama farewell speech Atticus Finch quote

Truman Capote Harper Lee In Cold Blood Kansas interviews

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Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Monroeville Alabama, Truman Capote, Atticus Finch, Go Set a Watchman, Pulitzer Prize, southern literature, Scout Finch, American novel. Harper Lee’s story combines small-town roots and big-city ambition, friendship and rivalry, and the lasting cultural debates around justice, empathy, and the power of a single book.

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This person died 2011, age of 56. He dropped out of Reed College in 1972 and once said that taking LSD was among the most important things he ever did. In the early years of his career, his obsession with detail drove colleagues crazy, but later he inspired extraordinary loyalty. In the 1990s he bought a small computer graphics spinoff from George Lucas and built it into Pixar. He told the world he would step down as Apple’s CEO if he could no longer meet expectations — and then he did. Today’s dead celebrity is Steve Jobs.

If you liked this episode, you might also like Episode 98 Pleasure Activists (Julia Child) or Episode 42 Game Changer (John Madden).

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Steve Jobs Stanford commencement 2005 full speech

iPhone launch 2007 keynote

Steve Jobs Pixar Toy Story interview 1995 on Charlie Rose

Steve Jobs Noah Wyle Macworld 1999 impersonation

Steve Jobs Simpsons parody Steve Mobbs MyPods and Boomsticks

Dead or Alive quiz game

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Steve Jobs was an entrepreneur who transformed Apple and Pixar into global icons, creating the iPhone and reshaping Silicon Valley with his visionary leadership. Known for his reality distortion field, his partnership with Steve Wozniak, and his relentless drive for innovation

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This person died in 2002 at the age of 64, Born in Littlefield, Texas, he became a radio disc jockey at 14 and formed his own band soon afterward. His resonant, authoritative voice was used to narrate The Dukes of Hazzard. Early in his career, his life nearly ended when he gave up his seat on the plane that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. With Willie Nelson, he performed duets like Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys and Good Hearted Woman. Today’s dead celebrity is Waylon Jennings.

If you liked this episode, you might also like Episode 31 The Greatest (Muhammad Ali), Episode 84 Vocal Bedrock (Johnny Cash), and Episode 19 Singing Mailman (John Prine).

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NYT Obituary for Waylon Jennings

Waylon talks about the death of Buddy Holly

In depth interview with Waylon Jennings about his autobiography

Badass stories about Waylon

Waylon and Big Bird

Dead or Alive quiz game

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This edition of Famous & Gravy takes up the story of Waylon Jennings, focusing on impact and afterimage as part of a what makes a life worth remembering and known for legacy podcast, with attention to narrative framing, persona shifts, and media influence. Through reflection and structure, the episode reveals how fame evolves after death. This show explores life lessons from celebrities and contributes to obituary-based storytelling.

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This person died in 2018, age 61. He never stopped marveling at the unlikeliness of his own success. Quote: “I should have died in my twenties. I became successful in my forties. I became my dad in my fifties. I feel like I’ve stolen a car, a really nice car, and I keep looking in the rearview mirror for flashing lights.” He emerged as a leading male voice in support of the Me Too movement. He was open about his past addictions to heroin and cocaine. He ate noodles in Hanoi with President Barack Obama, sucked on soft-boiled turtle eggs in Colombia, and savored handmade spring rolls in Cambodia on his way to an interview with the opposition government. Today’s dead celebrity is Anthony Bourdain.

If you need to talk, the 988 Lifeline is here.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like Episode 79 Likable Villain (Alan Rickman), Episode 108 Hunter S. Thompson (Gonzo Troubadour) and Episode 102 Joan Didion (Magical Thinker).

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NYT Obituary for Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain eats noodles with President Obama in Hanoi (Parts Unknown)

Anthony Bourdain on West Virginia and empathy (Parts Unknown)

Anthony Bourdain on Palestine (Parts Unknown)

Anthony Bourdain’s original Kitchen Confidential essay – New Yorker

Bourdain on WTF with Marc Maron

Dead or Alive quiz game

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Famous & Gravy official website

In reflecting on the life of Anthony Bourdain, this episode of Famous & Gravy examines how fame and mortality intersect as part of a celebrity obituary podcast and known for rethinking celebrity legacies, highlighting moral posture, iconic status, and career longevity. This episode invites contemplation about the emotional architecture of legacy. This show explores legacy podcast and contributes to smart pop culture podcast.

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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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Famous & Gravy official website

In reflecting on the life of Richard Simmons, this episode of Famous & Gravy examines how fame and mortality intersect as part of a legacy podcast and known for what makes a life worth remembering, through themes of resilience, fame, and cultural afterlife. This episode offers a layered look at how we remember — and reinterpret — famous lives. This celebrity podcast explores life lessons from celebrities and contributes to famous lives reframed.

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