Last Days

Last Days

Last Days explores the final days of some of the biggest icons in sports and entertainment, breaking down precisely what led to the passing of figures who were larger than life but somehow even bigger in death. Derek Kaufman and Jason Beckerman debunk the myths, unpack the tragedies, and tell the real stories behind the most fascinating celebrity deaths.

Episodes

Ep. 144 - Eddie Van Halen

December 8, 2025 • 22 mins
On October 6, 2020, Eddie Van Halen — the revolutionary guitarist who reshaped the sound and possibilities of rock music — died at the age of 65 after a long battle with cancer. Celebrated for his explosive tapping technique, innovative tone engineering, and fearless musical curiosity, Van Halen transformed guitar playing into a new art form with a style that blended virtuosity, rhythm, and pure adrenaline. His work on albums like ...
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Ep. 143 - Randy Rhoads

December 1, 2025 • 21 mins
On March 19, 1982, Randy Rhoads — the prodigiously gifted guitarist who helped redefine heavy metal’s sound in the early ’80s — died at the age of 25 in a plane crash while on tour with Ozzy Osbourne. Known for his blistering technique and classical-inspired precision, Rhoads brought sophistication and melody to a genre previously defined by raw power. His work on Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman not only revived Osbourne’s so...
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Ep. 142 - Bob Marley

November 24, 2025 • 23 mins
On May 11, 1981, Bob Marley — the Jamaican singer, songwriter, and cultural revolutionary who brought reggae and Rastafarianism to the global stage — died of cancer at the age of 36 in Miami. Born in rural Nine Mile and rising from the streets of Kingston’s Trenchtown, Marley fused spiritual conviction with political defiance in songs like “One Love,” “Redemption Song,” and “No Woman, No Cry.” Though his life was cut short, his mus...
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Ep. 141 - Hervé Villechaize

November 17, 2025 • 22 mins
On September 4, 1993, Hervé Villechaize — the French-born actor and artist best known as Tattoo on Fantasy Island and Nick Nack in The Man with the Golden Gun — died by suicide the age of 50 in North Hollywood. Rising from a difficult childhood in Paris, he became a global television icon whose exuberant cry of “De plane! De plane!” made him a household name and a trailblazer for actors with dwarfism. Though his life ended in trage...
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Ep. 140 - JonBenét Ramsey

November 10, 2025 • 25 mins
On December 26, 1996, JonBenét Ramsey — a six-year-old beauty pageant contestant from Boulder, Colorado — was found dead in her family’s home, a tragedy that shocked the nation and has remained one of America’s most haunting unsolved cases. The discovery came just hours after her parents reported her missing following the appearance of a lengthy ransom note demanding $118,000. Despite intense media scrutiny and years of investigati...
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Special Episode - Dick Cheney

November 4, 2025 • 15 mins
On November 3, 2025, Dick Cheney — the former Vice President of the United States, Secretary of Defense, and one of the most powerful and polarizing figures in American political history — died at the age of 84 at his home in Wyoming. Cheney was a dominant force in Washington for more than four decades, shaping U.S. policy through intellect, discipline, and an unyielding belief in American power. Though his life was marked by contr...
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Ep. 139 - Roy Horn

November 3, 2025 • 21 mins
On May 8, 2020, Roy Horn — one half of the legendary Las Vegas magic duo Siegfried & Roy — passed away at the age of 75. Horn, alongside Siegfried Fischbacher, revolutionized live entertainment with their groundbreaking blend of illusion, spectacle, and their signature white tigers and lions, becoming synonymous with the glitz and grandeur of the Vegas Strip. Their partnership began in Europe and grew into a decades-long phenomenon...
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Ep. 138 - Muhammad Ali

October 27, 2025 • 26 mins
On June 3, 2016, Muhammad Ali — the three-time heavyweight champion, Olympic gold medalist, civil rights activist, and one of the most transformative figures in sports and culture — passed away at the age of 74. Ali first rose to prominence after stunning the world with his upset victory over Sonny Liston in 1964, and shortly thereafter changed his name to Muhammad Ali, declaring allegiance to his Muslim faith. In the ring, he was ...
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Ep. 137 - Jim Croce

October 20, 2025 • 24 mins
On September 20, 1973, Jim Croce — the singer-songwriter whose plainspoken poetry captured the heart of working-class America — died at the age of 30 in a plane crash just as his star was on the rise. With timeless hits like Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, Operator, and Time in a Bottle, Croce helped revive the folk-rock and singer-songwriter tradition that stretched from Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan, blending blue-collar realism with universa...
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Ep. 136 - Diane Keaton

October 13, 2025 • 23 mins
On October 11, 2025, Diane Keaton — the Oscar-winning actress, director, author, and one of the most singular voices in American cinema — passed away at the age of 79. Over a career spanning more than five decades, Keaton evolved from quirky ingénue to one of Hollywood’s most admired and enduring figures. She first drew notice in The Godfather, but it was her performance in Annie Hall — the role that won her the Academy Award for B...
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Ep. 135 - Dana Plato

October 6, 2025 • 23 mins
On May 8, 1999, Dana Plato — the child star who captured America’s heart as Kimberly Drummond on Diff’rent Strokes — died at the age of 34 from a fatal overdose in Moore, Oklahoma. Once one of television’s most recognizable young faces, Plato’s life became a haunting symbol of the perils of early fame, marked by addiction, legal troubles, and an unrelenting struggle to reclaim her place in Hollywood. Her death, coming just one day ...
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Ep. 134 - Owen Hart

September 29, 2025 • 20 mins
On May 23, 1999, Owen Hart — a gifted wrestling star and member of one of sport's most legendary families — died at the age of 34 during a live pay-per-view event as a result of a tragic stunt gone terribly wrong. In a career defined by dazzling athleticism, sharp wit, and a willingness to reinvent himself, Hart carved out an identity that balanced technical mastery with playful showmanship and embodied both the grit of a wrestling...
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Ep. 133 - Aaron Hernandez

September 22, 2025 • 23 mins
On April 19, 2017, Aaron Hernandez — the former NFL star tight end for the New England Patriots whose meteoric rise was eclipsed by a shocking murder conviction and subsequent prison sentence — was found dead in his prison cell at the age of 27. Once a standout athlete at the University of Florida and a Super Bowl–appearing Pro Bowler, Hernandez’s career and life unraveled after his arrest and conviction for the 2013 murder of Odin...
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Special Episode: Robert Redford

September 16, 2025 • 17 mins
On September 16, 2025, Robert Redford — the decorated actor, accomplished director, founder of the Sundance Film Festival, and one of Hollywood's leading lights for decades — passed away at the age of 89. In a career that stretched across six decades, Redford transformed from matinee idol in films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, to the Oscar-winning director of Ordinary People, and finally into the patron sai...
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Ep. 132 - Jerry Garcia

September 15, 2025 • 22 mins
On August 9, 1995, Jerry Garcia — the guitarist, singer, and spiritual leader of the Grateful Dead — died of a heart attack at the age of 53 in a California rehab facility. In a career that spanned three decades, Garcia became one of the most iconic figures of the counterculture, guiding the Dead from the psychedelic streets of Haight-Ashbury to stadiums packed with devoted Deadheads. With his warm voice, improvisational guitar wor...
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Special Episode - Charlie Kirk

September 10, 2025 • 4 mins
On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk — the American conservative commentator and founder of Turning Point USA — was tragically shot and killed during a campus event at Utah Valley University at the age of 31. Known for his polarizing debates and staunch support of conservative values, Kirk gained national recognition for his efforts to engage young people in political discourse, while also serving as a prominent ally to former Presi...
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Ep. 131 - Cameron Boyce

September 8, 2025 • 23 mins
On July 6, 2019, Cameron Boyce — the American actor and dancer best known for his work in Disney Channel’s Jessie and the Descendants franchise — died from complications of epilepsy at the age of 20 in Los Angeles. In a career that began when he was just a child, Boyce quickly emerged as one of Disney’s brightest young stars, captivating audiences with his natural charisma, comedic timing, and infectious energy on screen. Beyond hi...
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Ep. 130 - Tony Scott

September 1, 2025 • 25 mins
On August 19, 2012, Tony Scott — the British filmmaker best known for high-octane blockbusters like Top Gun, Crimson Tide, and Man on Fire — died by suicide at the age of 68 in Los Angeles. In a career that stretched across three decades, Scott carved out a unique place in Hollywood as a master of adrenaline-fueled spectacle. With his signature visual style — kinetic camerawork, bold color palettes, and an editing pace that matched...
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Ep. 129 - Michael Madsen

August 25, 2025 • 23 mins
On January 25, 2022, Michael Madsen — the gravel-voiced actor synonymous with tough-guy roles in Quentin Tarantino films — suffered a devastating personal tragedy when his son, Hudson, died by suicide in Hawaii. Madsen, whose own career has spanned more than four decades, has long been a fixture of Hollywood’s gritty underbelly, with iconic turns in Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, and Donnie Brasco. Known for his menacing screen presenc...
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Ep. 128 - Big Pun

August 18, 2025 • 20 mins
On February 7, 2000, Christopher Rios — the larger-than-life rapper better known as Big Pun — died at the age of 28 from heart failure in White Plains, New York. In a career that barely spanned half a decade, the Bronx-born rapper rewrote the rules for Latin artists in hip hop. With rhymes that were dense, intricate, and delivered with a ferocity that belied his massive physical presence, Pun became the first solo Latino rapper to ...
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