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 49: Hammer Time (Hank Aaron)
This person died 2021 age 86. He was routinely brilliant, performing with seemingly effortless grace. He did not enjoy the idolatry accorded to his contemporaries. He grew up in Alabama amid rigid segregation, and he faced abuse from the stands while playing in the South as a minor leaguer. He was voted an All-Star in all but his first and last seasons, and he won three Gold Glove awards. The San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds surpassed his home run record in August 2007. In the 1974 season, he eclipsed Babe Ruth as baseball’s home run king, hitting 755 homers and holding the most celebrated record in sports for more than 30 years. Today’s dead celebrity is Hank Aaron.
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 33 “October Error” (Bill Buckner) and Episode 31 “The Greatest” (Muhammad Ali).
Transcript of this episode
New York Times Obituary for Hank Aaron
Famous & Gravy official website
Famous & Gravy on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
Hank Aaron’s historic 715th home run clip with Bill Buckner, two teenagers, and mom
Hank Aaron Forced America to Change article from The Ringer
Hank Aaron on David Letterman in 1982
Charles Schwab commercial with Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds
Hank Aaron Was a Franchisee for these 4 fast food chains article from Mashed
HPB.com
Dead or Alive Quiz Game
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