Famous and Gravy: Dead celebrity biographies

This person died in 2026, age 48. Asked in 2023 what advice he would give his younger self, he said: "Don't be surprised if six years of work gets reduced to a three-second GIF of you crying." In 1997, he was studying English at Drew University in New Jersey when the opportunity for his breakout role came along. In 1999, he played a high school football player in the coming-of-age movie Varsity Blues. Today's dead celebrity is James Van Der Beek.

This is a shorter episode than usual as we say goodbye to James and The Van Der Beek category.

If you liked this episode, you might also like Episode 88 Dirty Dancer (Patrick Swayze) or Episode 57 Cool Hand Dylan (Luke Perry).

LINKS:
14th Street Studios
Transcript of this episode
NYT Obituary for James Van Der Beek
Asshole for Hire — James Van Der Beek for Funny or Die
Castle in the Sky (1986) — Studio Ghibli
Dead or Alive quiz game
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads
Famous & Gravy official website

James Van Der Beek gave Famous & Gravy its name for a category. In this special tribute episode, Michael Osborne and co-host Sarah Murphy remember the Dawson's Creek star not as a punchline but as a person: a self-aware kid who knew what he wanted at 15, a reluctant internet icon who leaned into the memes with humor and grace, an adopted Texan who found peace on a ranch with six kids and a gratitude that came through in his final videos. RIP Category retires the Vanderbeek and replaces it with the Pitch at the Pearly Gates — and makes the case that James Van Der Beek, at 48, had lived a genuinely good life.
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After a hiatus, Famous & Gravy is coming back! In this episode, Michael Osborne shares what’s been happening behind the scenes, why the show took a pause, and what’s changing moving forward. We’ll have a new weekly release schedule, experimental off-format episodes, and the launch of full-length video episodes for the first time.

Michael also talks candidly about the future of the show, the evolution of the format, and why listener feedback has become more important than ever.

Then, in the second half of the episode, Michael also reads a new essay written for Podcast Review called Your Favorite Podcast Host Is Probably in Recovery. It’s an exploration of why so many influential podcast voices come from recovery communities, and what that might reveal about intimacy, vulnerability, storytelling, and the medium itself.

The print version of the essay is here:

https://podcastreview.org/essay/your-favorite-podcast-host-is-probably-in-recovery/

As always, please write it you want to participate in the opening quiz: [email protected]
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Michael shares an update on the hiatus and what’s next for Famous & Gravy. After the update, there's a backstage conversation with Arielle Nissenblatt (Head of Community & Content at Pinwheel; founder of EarBuds Podcast Collective; Podcast Hall of Fame inductee) who offered to audit the show and talk through what’s working, what’s unclear to first-time listeners, and where the biggest growth levers might be. A podcast is a theater: you can build the stage, but you also need a lobby and a backstage. If you have thoughts on what the Famous & Gravy “lobby” or “backstage” could look like—or you want to offer feedback by email or a listener call, we'd would love to hear from you.
Contact
[email protected]
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We’re pausing production of the show, and need YOU to help us improve Famous & Gravy.

Link to our anonymous short survey: https://forms.gle/8rHVzfLL3RQU75kr6
Michael’s email to schedule a 1:1 call: [email protected]

SOCIALS for Public comment:
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads
Famous & Gravy official website

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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).

LINKS:
14th Street Studios
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
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads
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?
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.