On every episode we choose a celebrity who died between 1 and 10 years ago. We then go through a series of structured categories. We start by rating the first line of their NYT obituary on a scale of 1–10. We then look at their life stats, we speculate on their inner lives, and we ultimately answer the question "Would I want that life?" Each category helps weigh the desirability of a given life. Our approach is that of an empathetic biography. Our dead celebrities cross many categories of fame, including film, TV, sports, music, politics, literature, and more. Our goal is to make serious topics fun.
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episode 48: What About Bob (Bob Dole)
This person died 2021, age 98. He was a star athlete who lettered in football, basketball and track. He came home from the war in Europe in a body cast, mostly paralyzed, and spent 39 months under intense care. He was a key figure behind the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. He starred in commercials for Visa in 1997, Viagra in 1998, and for Pepsi in 2001. During the 1996 presidential election, he often lapsed into legislative lingo and referred to himself in the third person. Today’s dead celebrity is Bob Dole.
Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Sign up for our newsletter at famousandgravy.com for news and updates on the show. Also, enjoy our mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 20 “Notorious Dissenter” (Ruth Bader Ginsberg) and Episode 7 “Wiry Gadfly” (Ross Perot).
Transcript of this episode
New York Times Obituary for Bob Dole
Famous & Gravy official website
Famous & Gravy on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
Norm Macdonald’s impression of Bob Dole on SNL
Bob Dole for President 1988 commercial
Bob Dole For President 1996 commercial
Dole/Kemp ‘96 original campaign website
Bob Dole Viagra commercial
Bob Dole Pepsi commercial with Britney Spears
Norm Macdonald meets Bob Dole
‘Great Presidential Wit’ book by Bob Dole
HPB.com
Dead or Alive Quiz Game
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