Famous and Gravy

This person died in 2021 at age 85. He had an irrepressible way, and a distinctive voice. Fox snagged him in the mid-1990s to establish credibility. Before broadcasting, he was a lineman for Philadelphia and then a coach for the Raiders, leading them to their first Super Bowl victory in 1977. His Electronic Arts video game evolved into a cultural phenomenon. His influence, steeped in everyman sensibilities, made the NFL more interesting, more relevant and more fun for over 40 years. Today’s dead celebrity is John Madden.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.comIf you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 31 “The Greatest” (Muhammad Ali)LINKS:Transcript of this episodeNew York Times Obituary for John MaddenJohn Madden page on NFL Hall of Fame website“The Genius of John Madden” from The RingerFrank Caliendo impression of John MaddenAn exclusive tour inside the Madden CruiserChuck Klostermann article in GQ about future of footballJohn Madden’s chair at Chuy’s in Van Horn, TXJohn Madden once met Nelson MandelaResidents of the Dakota Building in NYCDead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died in 2020 at age 78. He grew up in Oneonta, New York. He began his career in the 1960s, hitchhiking and busking around the country before establishing himself in Greenwich Village. In 1971, he took his struggling friend Jimmy Buffett to Key West for the first time. Mainstream radio programmers didn’t play his music, perhaps because of his gruff, braying singing voice and his reputation for being intoxicated onstage. He became a mainstay of the Texas Outlaw movement that catapulted Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings to fame, years after his best known composition, “Mr. Bojangles”. Today’s dead celebrity is Jerry Jeff Walker.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.comIf you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 19 “Singing Mailman” (John Prine) and Episode 23 “Book Rancher” (Larry McMurtry)Transcript of this episodeNew York Times Obituary for Jerry Jeff WalkerJerry Jeff Walker official website“OK Buckaroos” documentary trailerJerry Jeff performs on Austin City Limits in 1976Homer Simpson sings Mr. Bojangles“Jerry Jeff Walker, Remembered By…” in Texas Monthly“The Long, Lonesome Roads of Jerry Jeff Walker” in The New YorkerDjango Walker official websiteDead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died 2012 at age 82. He was among the most recognizable faces in the world. He built an entertainment empire, which expanded into game shows, awards shows, comedy specials, talk shows, children’s programming, reality programming, and movies. His signature show had remarkable longevity and became a cultural touchstone for the baby-boomer generation. He was the perpetually youthful-looking television host of “American Bandstand” and “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”. Today’s dead celebrity is Dick Clark.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.comIf you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 16 “Quintessential Quizmaster” (Alex Trebek) and Episode 10 “Countdown King” (Casey Kasem)Transcript of this episodeNew Year’s Rockin’ Eve December 31, 1999 (millennium)New Year’s Rockin’ Eve December 31, 2001 (post 9/11)Dick Clark interviews Prince on American BandstandDavid Spade as Dick Clark’s receptionist on SNLSNL spoof of $25,000 pyramidFrom Rock to Disco to Hip Hop with Dick Clark article from Slate“Dick Clark: Eternally Light” article from The New YorkerDead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died in 2019 at age 76. In 1958 when he was 14, his father died immediately after performing a roast for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. His dry delivery piqued the interest of Tom Smothers, who offered him a job in the late 1960s as a writer on the “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” He was roommates with Steve Martin for a number of years, and his younger brother is the renowned comedian and filmmaker Albert Brooks. His most famous and long-lived character was a witless, deadpan parody of bravado-fueled stuntmen like Evel Knievel. He starred as Larry Middleman in “Arrested Development” and as Larry David’s frenemy, Marty Funkhouser, in “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. Today’s dead celebrity is Bob Einstein. Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.comIf you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 29 “Zen Comedian” (Garry Shandling) and Episode 11 “Stiletto Comic” (Joan Rivers)LINKS:Transcript of this episodeNew York Times Obituary for Bob EinsteinSuper Dave Osborne King of the Road videoSuper Dave Bungee Jump videoScene in Modern Romance with Bob Einstein and Albert Brooks“Super Dave, In Memoriam” article in The Yorker“Mourning Marty Funkhouser” article in The RingerBob Einstein Official WebsiteThe Super Bob Einstein Movie HBO DocumentaryDead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died 2016 at age 82. She starred in “Fanny” on Broadway in the mid-1950s, and did national tours of “Oklahoma!” and “The Sound of Music”. In 1966, she was one of the first women to guest host “The Tonight Show”. She surprisingly appeared in Bobcat Goldthwait’s offbeat comedy “Shakes the Clown”, in which she played an unnamed woman who has a one-night stand with the title character. She starred in an upbeat, globally syndicated TV comedy as Carol Brady, a woman with three daughters who marries a widower who has three sons, collectively known as “The Brady Bunch”. Today’s dead celebrity is Florence Henderson.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.comTranscript of this episodeNew York Times Obituary for Florence HendersonProfile on Florence Henderson from CBS NewsQ Scores explained by the Washington Post14 Best TV Moms from Parade MagazineShakes the Clown opening scene starring Florence HendersonVideo for Weird Al’s “Amish Paradise”Dead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died 2021 at age 57. He appeared regularly on the Nickelodeon show “Yo Gabba Gabba”. He collaborated with artists such as the Beastie Boys and Will Smith, and appeared in the movie “Men in Black II”, in which he played an alien disguised as a postal worker who communicates via beatboxing. He was known as the “clown prince of hip-hop” for his playful style and joyous charm, and his most renowned song is the hit singalong  “Just a Friend”. Today’s dead celebrity is Marcel Theo Hall, better known as Biz Markie.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.comLINKS:Transcript of this episodeNew York Times Obituary for Biz Markie“Just A Friend” official video“Vapors” official videoMen In Black II scene featuring Will Smith and Biz MarkieBiz;s Beat of the Day on Yo Gabba Gabba!“20 Years Ago Biz Markie Got the Last Laugh” from NPR“Hip Hop Wouldn’t Be the Same Without Biz Markie” article in MIC magazine“Farewell Biz Markie...” article from Rolling StoneDead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died in 2020 at age 73. He was a relative unknown in 1970 when Kris Kristofferson first heard him play one night at a Chicago club. Roger Ebert, the film critic, wrote an early review of him with the headline “Singing Mailman Who Delivers a Powerful Message in a Few Words.” He won a Grammy for best new artist in 1972, and again in 2020 for Lifetime Achievement. Today’s dead celebrity is John Prine.This episode originally published May 4, 2022.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.comLINKS:Transcript of this episodeNew York Times Obituary for John PrineJohn Prine official website‘John Prine’s Perfect Songs’ in the New Yorker‘John Prine Isn’t Counting the Time’ from The RingerVideo for ‘When I Get to Heaven’Kacey Musgraves sings “Burn One with John Prine” liveDead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died in 2016 at age 69. In an acting career spanning more than 40 years, he played a panoply of fascinating characters. He had his early successes in stage works involving the Royal Shakespeare Company. Though he was never nominated for an Academy Award, he won many accolades, but shrugged off the value of awards in general. He gained a worldwide audience in “Die Hard,” playing Hans Gruber, the devious, well-spoken terrorist who took over the fictional Nakatomi Plaza. He had a starring role in the iconic 2003 film “Love Actually”, and more recently, played the notorious professor Severus Snape in the “Harry Potter” series. Today’s dead celebrity is Alan Rickman. Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne.This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.comLINKS:Transcript of this episodeNew York Times obituary for Alan RickmanEmma Thompson tribute to Alan RickmanKevin Smith tribute to Alan RickmanHans Gruber fall in Die HardAlan Rickman’s voicemail bit on Family GuyAlan Rickman takes Jimmy Fallon to taskAlan Rickman behind the scenes of Harry Potter as SnapeDead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died in 2017 at age 77. One of his early commercial films was a segment for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. His first movie was made for $100K and was released when racial tensions were high in the United States. Of his creations, he said “they are multipurpose, you can’t really get angry at them, they have no hidden agendas, they are what they are. I sympathize with them.” He was a horror visionary who created the modern zombie genre with his 1968 cult film, “Night of the Living Dead”. Today’s dead celebrity is George Romero. Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss, and features guest co-host Drew Tinnen. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.comLinks:Transcript of this episodeNew York Times obituary for George RomeroDrew Tinnen article about Romero on the set of Night of the Living DeadDrew Tinnen article about Romero’s KnightridersThe American Nightmare documentaryDead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died in 2019 at age 69.  His father died when he was a teenager, and his mother was a stenographer for the California Highway Patrol. During his two decades in the major leagues, he amassed 2,715 hits, won a batting title, and twice led the league in doubles. When he retired, he moved with his family to a ranch in Meridian, Idaho. His long, solid career was overshadowed by a crushing error that possibly cost the Boston Red Sox Game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the New York Mets, further perpetuating “The Curse of The Bambino”. Today’s dead celebrity is Bill Buckner.Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.comLINKS:Transcript of this episodeNew York Times obituary for Bill BucknerClip of the 1986 errorBill Buckner attempting to catch Hank Aaron’s 715th home runCurb Your Enthusiasm Season 8 Episode 9 clip with Bill Buckner guest appearanceThe “Buckner Bridge” in MassachusettsESPN’s “Bill Buckner Behind The Bag” featuring Judy BucknerTIME Magazine’s “Bill Buckner Forgave Boston” article“Saying Goodbye to the Bill Buckner Myths” from The New YorkerDead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.