Aug. 28, 2026
First Hayden, Then Dolly: Why Does It Feel Like EVERYONE Is Dying?
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RSS Feed These last few weeks of August have felt unusually heavy, with daily headlines of celebrity deaths. We’ve been waking up this summer to an onslaught of announcements that some of our favorite, most beloved entertainers have passed. We were shocked when we actually looked at the legends we have lost beginning back in January with Catherine O’Hara to the news we lost both Dolly Parton and Tim Curry on the same day.
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Friday, August 28th. Dolly Parton, Hayden Panettiere, Tim Curry. And that was just in the past week or so. What in the world is going on this summer with us losing so many celebrities? With that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Rose, we were talking about it just from August 16th with Hayden Panettiere. And Rose, I'm going back through this list. This has been a hell of a year and a hell of a summer.
00:00:36
Speaker 2: It really has been.
00:00:37
Speaker 1: This is freaky.
00:00:38
Speaker 2: You start to... put together because, yes.
00:00:40
Speaker 3: We remember the recent deaths, and they were big ones, huge ones, shocking ones. But when you start to go back and you've put a list together, my jaw just dropped.
00:00:51
Speaker 1: Because you forgot about Catherine O'Hara, didn't you?
00:00:52
Speaker 2: I did.
00:00:53
Speaker 1: That's how the year started. We were all stunned. What happened? Yes, Catherine O'Hara. We lost her at the beginning of this year. And, Rose, that started really what has been a hell of a year. And like I said, a hell of a summer. Remember how people always think these things happen in threes? They don't.
00:01:08
Speaker 3: But.
00:01:09
Speaker 1: it always feels like that in some way. Well, this is happening in fives and tens and whatnot.
00:01:13
Speaker 3: I mean, and we are losing legends, not just, you know, and look like people that actually are a part of our lives, whether that's healthy or not, but they are, they've been with us our entire lives. And so to, have them go and pass on is almost as if you've lost a sister or a mother or a grandmother in cases.
00:01:35
Speaker 2: You feel that close to some of these folks.
00:01:37
Speaker 1: And we're sitting here now. Literally, as we sit here, over my shoulder, big screen TV, we have Transformers playing because one of the iconic voices from the Transformers movies just passed away. Robes, you come in here. Every day, it seems, when we start our mornings, we are watching something or listening to something to pay tribute to somebody that just passed. This actor's movie, this artist's music. And so we were at it once again this morning. I don't know, Robes. I haven't seen anybody put together and say, wow, this is more celebrities than we've ever. I don't know how you can keep up with that kind of count. But Robes, when you talk about people who are part of stuff like even if you don't know his name, he was a part of the Sopranos.
00:02:17
Speaker 3: Right.
00:02:17
Speaker 1: We are losing people. You don't know his name, but he was a part of the blockbuster Transformers movies. They were all, even if they weren't the icons themselves, they were a part of things. Like you just said, robes were a part of our lives in such a major way. And we're losing them left and right. Yeah.
00:02:31
Speaker 3: I mean, Hayden was incredibly shocking at 36. She was the youngest one. A lot of these folks are getting older. But look, I don't know. What is considered old age these days?
00:02:42
Speaker 1: We're shocked when we hear anything. Anybody dies before 75.
00:02:47
Speaker 3: Yes, and like if you think about our president is 80, right? 80.
00:02:52
Speaker 1: Just turned 80. How'd you miss the big birthday, baby?
00:02:55
Speaker 2: Sorry, I can't believe.
00:02:56
Speaker 3: I was thinking maybe 81, but then no, I realized the big old 8-0. And honestly, like Dolly Parton, 80 when she died. Tim Curry, 80 when he died. And Victor Pastore, who you just mentioned, 80. when he died August 1st. So I wonder how much that plays into even President Trump's psyche, to see people your same age dying in large numbers.
00:03:21
Speaker 1: And we have, and we spent some time this morning, and I encourage everybody to do so. You should know this. You should check out the President's Truth Social when you can. It is a bizarre, really, collection of posts, of AI pictures, They're showing him younger, trying to show him with strength, comparing him to other presidents, putting himself next to George Washington and all kinds of things. Just this morning, I hope he has one, I showed it to you, all the pictures of a lot of presidents. At the very top is his picture, and it says, the greatest. Under there, it says, the almost greats, the average, then the failures. And he's listing all of these. Who does that?
00:04:02
Speaker 3: Look, this is not a politically motivated statement that I'm about to make, but I'm sorry when you get to that certain age, you do, you, there is in most people a mental decline and there is, and there have been plenty of cases where there is delusion.
00:04:19
Speaker 2: Attached to that.
00:04:20
Speaker 3: And that is literally what it appears to be when you look at his true social feed.
00:04:26
Speaker 1: He wrote, he had a, I'm sure he's at AI photo of him and he put an eight, the president posted an AI photo of him and Dolly Parton at the white house. It's odd stuff. So to your point, you post a lot of stuff about being younger and whatnot because 80, Robes, losing people who are 80 left and right. But just since August 16th, Robes, that was when Hayden Panettiere died. August 16th, we were coming in here every morning for work going, who? Who died? What happened? Wait, what? Every day. August 16th, Hayden died. She's 36 years old. Then August 19th was Michael Wright, the actor- who played in the five heartbeats. He died at 70. He had a long illness. Of course, Dolly died on the 25th. Also on the 25th, Tim Curry, both of them 80 years old. Wow. Tim Curry was iconic as well.
00:05:14
Speaker 2: Iconic. Rocky Horror Picture Show. He was the original Pennywise in It.
00:05:21
Speaker 3: You name it, he did his face and those dimples, and he just had that, you just know that face.
00:05:28
Speaker 2: And you've known it your whole life.
00:05:30
Speaker 3: And then Peter Cullen, at 85, died August 26th.
00:05:35
Speaker 1: Optimus Prime. So yeah, here we are, what is this day? We're at the 28th now. So that's just since August 16th. But Robes, the rest of the month of August included Victor Pastore from the Sopranos, but also Ben Jones from Dukes of Hazzard. He died on August 9th at the age of 84. But then you go back to June and July, Robes.
00:05:56
Speaker 2: This is remarkable.
00:05:57
Speaker 3: Isn't it?
00:05:58
Speaker 2: Yes, July. We lost Bonnie Tyler. July 8th, total eclipse of the heart. That was gutting. She was 75.
00:06:05
Speaker 3: Wow. And then this one was totally shocking and heartbreaking. Sam Neill at 78 died July 13th.
00:06:14
Speaker 2: That's a heartbreaker.
00:06:16
Speaker 1: Jurassic Park.
00:06:17
Speaker 3: I can't remember it either, but it was like no one was expecting it. It didn't seem like this was on anyone's radar. Hal Williams at the age of 91.
00:06:25
Speaker 1: From Sanford and Son in 227. That's a good life. 91 years old.
00:06:30
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, I loved him. That was July 15th.
00:06:32
Speaker 3: And then Arlene Smith died at the age of 84, July 29th, a member of the Chantelles.
00:06:37
Speaker 1: Yes, a record-breaking and really an iconic and one of the first successful black girl groups. Then you go back to June. Robes, there's a couple of icons in there.
00:06:49
Speaker 2: Peebo Bryson.
00:06:50
Speaker 1: There's a couple of icons in there.
00:06:51
Speaker 2: Oh, my God.
00:06:52
Speaker 3: At 75, again, way too young. Died on June 2nd. Gene Shalit made.
00:06:58
Speaker 2: It to 100. But we lost him June 12th. Oliver Tree, 32.
00:07:05
Speaker 1: What was that? It was a helicopter crash, wasn't it, down in, was that Brazil as well?
00:07:09
Speaker 2: I think it was Brazil. That was on June 14th. And then, oh, Dave Chase at 35. That was sad.
00:07:16
Speaker 1: A lot of people.
00:07:17
Speaker 3: June 16th.
00:07:18
Speaker 1: You heard from a lot of people in the industry after that saying, like, how did we lose sight of her?
00:07:23
Speaker 2: Childhood actors. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Childhood actors.
00:07:25
Speaker 3: A lot of people have linked her with Hayden Panettiere at a similar age, just 35.
00:07:31
Speaker 2: Hayden was 36.
00:07:32
Speaker 3: Then Tay Keith at 29.
00:07:36
Speaker 1: Music producer. They still don't have a cause of death. I think that was in Nashville. Really?
00:07:39
Speaker 2: They still don't know.
00:07:40
Speaker 1: They do not have a cause of death, yeah.
00:07:42
Speaker 3: But you've talked about how his name was invoked in so many songs that I didn't even realize, but he was the the genius behind a lot of songs.
00:07:49
Speaker 2: We all know and love.
00:07:51
Speaker 1: Yes, once I pointed it out, there are songs you know, and they're like, wait, I didn't know that was what they were saying at the beginning.
00:07:56
Speaker 3: I had no idea they were saying his name, kind of like DJ Khaled, like that same kind of leaving a mark.
00:08:02
Speaker 2: Clive Davis, again, a music genius.
00:08:05
Speaker 1: Genius. Can't get bigger than that, really, in music.
00:08:08
Speaker 2: No. 94 years old, June 22nd. Victor Willis.
00:08:11
Speaker 1: Also, icon, Robes. That's YMCA, the Village People, one of the founding members. 74 years old.
00:08:16
Speaker 2: That's young. June 30th.
00:08:18
Speaker 1: That feels young. Now, Kyle Busch, when we go back to May. Again, this is still summer, if you will. Look at those names, Robes. That is Ted Turner, Kyle Busch, Jason Collins. Those three made marks on their spaces like none other. Obviously, Ted Turner. the founder of CNN, died at 87. Jason Collins, the first NBA player, openly gay NBA player, Jason Collins.
00:08:42
Speaker 3: 47.
00:08:42
Speaker 2: It was cancer, right?
00:08:43
Speaker 3: Yeah. That was so incredibly sad. His husband paid such beautiful tribute to him. Kyle Busch. That was another shocking death at 41.
00:08:52
Speaker 1: He had pneumonia and something had gone on. He deteriorated really quickly. Like he was, He was still working.
00:09:00
Speaker 3: He was doing a driving simulator and didn't feel well and then died within days. He was supposed to be racing that weekend. And then Donald Gibb from Revenge of the Nerds, that was.
00:09:13
Speaker 2: A heartbreaker for you.
00:09:14
Speaker 1: It was.
00:09:16
Speaker 2: 71, again, way too young.
00:09:17
Speaker 1: That's young. But Robes, I was struck by... Again, Robes, these are not just... Jason Collins is a history maker. Ted Turner is a history maker. Peeble Bryson is other level. Clive Davis is legendary. Bonnie Tyler, legendary. Sam Neill, Robes. Jurassic frickin' Park. Robes, this is a... Ben Jones, even that show is one of the most iconic ever. These folks are not just... actors and working actors and had good careers. Robes, these are Michael Wright even. A lot of people might not be as familiar with him. Robes, that's stuff of my childhood. This list hurts.
00:10:03
Speaker 2: It does.
00:10:04
Speaker 3: It does hurt because, A, we have to all face our own mortality, I think. And when you see these people who seem larger than life, who seem like they're immortalized, maybe even in our minds, to see them.
00:10:16
Speaker 2: Pass, it does... Take your breath away.
00:10:20
Speaker 1: This, again, everything we just mentioned here, Robes, that was just our summer. Stay here. We'll remind you of how our year got started with some other iconic names and iconic entertainers. Passing away.
00:10:42
Speaker 3: Welcome back, everyone, to Amy and TJ. You know, we started this episode because we were actually having an organic conversation just about how it feels like. And we've always heard people say, oh, people die in threes. But we were talking, it just feels like so many people who we've known and loved have died just in the recent weeks. in the summer, but then even in 2026, this seems like an especially profound year of deaths. Maybe they're not more than others. It maybe just feels like that. But when you feel the weight of who has passed, this year does feel exceptional.
00:11:20
Speaker 1: You know, I think, and you said, I mean, the 16th, we're sitting here on the 28th recording this, Robes. I mean, that's been 12 days. It started with Hayden Panettiere and then Dolly and Tim, but So is that what it is, Robes?
00:11:34
Speaker 2: I think that's what it is.
00:11:34
Speaker 1: These were shocking. Maybe that's what's jolting us so much right now. Hayden, we're still messed up and pissed over that to a certain degree. Absolutely. And still don't have answers to that one. I mean, Dolly, pardon, for God's sake. So maybe, is that a part of it, Robes? It feels so much bigger because it's Clive Davis, right? Is that why? And then the year started, Robes, this messed everybody up.
00:11:58
Speaker 2: Catherine O'Hara's death.
00:11:59
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:12:00
Speaker 2: It actually personally hurt.
00:12:03
Speaker 3: And look, her tremendous, unbelievable career was just something to marvel at. This woman was brilliant in a comedic way that few women have ever been able to be in this world, truly. And then just even towards the end of her career, Schitt's Creek, are you kidding me? That is one of the finest, finest comedic series I have ever watched, and her brilliance led the way. I mean, everyone in that cast was amazing, but Moira, oh my God, forever. I will just, she stays with you. She stays with you. She just does.
00:12:43
Speaker 1: That was January, was hers, right?
00:12:46
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:12:46
Speaker 1: Was Catherine O'Hara, and was 71? She was so young.
00:12:50
Speaker 2: Yes, she was. I can get her exact age, but she was so young.
00:12:55
Speaker 1: That's how the year started, Robes. And with James Van Der Beek, Chuck Norris, Eric Dane.
00:13:03
Speaker 3: Right?
00:13:04
Speaker 1: Those, Eric Dane and James Van Der Beek, they were a part of some of the most iconic television that's ever been put out there.
00:13:11
Speaker 2: Oh, absolutely.
00:13:12
Speaker 3: I mean, Eric Dane, I just think about him. He was McSteamy, I believe. The other was McDreamy. I can't remember who was who in Grey's Anatomy. But yes, he's this strong, handsome, prince-like guy.
00:13:28
Speaker 2: Looking dude.
00:13:29
Speaker 3: And to think that he suffered ALS and had to go through just such a difficult couple of years, the weight and the toll that took on his daughters, just to watch it all happen. I mean, I know that he was committed to the cause and to raising funds and awareness about this disease that cruelly takes so many lives.
00:13:50
Speaker 2: But that was just such a sad, sad loss. He was what, 50 at the most. He was in his 50s, I think. He was young.
00:13:59
Speaker 1: Didn't he have pretty young kids?
00:14:01
Speaker 2: Teenage girls. Yeah, he, let's see.
00:14:04
Speaker 3: Oh, so he was just a year older than me. Actually, just by a couple months. So he was 50, 53.
00:14:10
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:14:11
Speaker 1: And then, of course, Chuck Norris, legendary. And that's funny. I didn't even know about, I didn't know there was a McSteamy. I knew about McDreamy.
00:14:20
Speaker 2: Oh, yeah, Mick.
00:14:21
Speaker 1: I didn't know that.
00:14:22
Speaker 2: Mick Steamy, yes.
00:14:23
Speaker 3: Oh, and he was definitely the heartthrob of Grey's Anatomy, without a doubt.
00:14:27
Speaker 1: I thought he was the other guy.
00:14:28
Speaker 3: It depends on what you like. Kind of nerdy, smart, or just hot and hunky. And Eric Dane was hot and hunky.
00:14:34
Speaker 1: But he was a doctor, so he's still smart.
00:14:36
Speaker 3: Oh, yeah.
00:14:36
Speaker 2: I wasn't saying he was dumb hot and hunky.
00:14:38
Speaker 1: Okay, I didn't know if his character was that. No, no, no.
00:14:42
Speaker 3: Yes, but McDreamy was Dr. Derek Shepard, of course. That was, why am I forgetting his name? Patrick Dempsey.
00:14:48
Speaker 2: Oh, of course.
00:14:49
Speaker 3: So Patrick Dempsey was McDreamy, and Eric Dane was McSteamy.
00:14:55
Speaker 2: For those of us who loved Grey's Anatomy.
00:14:57
Speaker 1: And the other thing, and I got this from, I wouldn't have put this together, but the USA Today did, Robes, that, well, Catherine O'Hara, Tim Curry. You know those two. But, Robes, there have been four cast members from Home Alone 2 that have died this year. Four cast members, like prominent cast members.
00:15:12
Speaker 2: That is so, that's freaky.
00:15:14
Speaker 1: One was the lady that was in the Pigeon Lady in the park. She passed. I remember that one. Another was a vocalist. I think she was at the, and it's hilarious, Robes. Her name was J.P. Morgan. Stop. She changed. She added the P. That was a stage name, J.
00:15:31
Speaker 3: Morgan.
00:15:31
Speaker 1: She added the P to be funny. But it's spelled J-A-Y-E. J.P. Morgan.
00:15:37
Speaker 2: That's funny.
00:15:38
Speaker 1: She died in 94.
00:15:39
Speaker 3: I love that she has this sense of humor. She died at 94.
00:15:43
Speaker 1: Wow. She died at 94. That's a hell of a life. But yeah, it's weird to... It's just been a weird year, babe. It's been a weird year. Hopefully it stops because we're tired of walking in every morning and saying who died.
00:15:54
Speaker 3: Well, and I was just going to say it's only August. So, look, I don't know. We haven't looked at the numbers statistic wise. I doubt there's any anomaly happening. It just feels like that because there are so many people. who were beloved and iconic and a part of our lives that have passed.
00:16:13
Speaker 2: And look, it's always a good thing to honor them, to remember them. And, um, just, and I.
00:16:18
Speaker 3: Think it's always a reminder too. We never know. We never know what tomorrow brings to live your life. Like it's your last day. That is just when I see these stories and when I'm reminded about the inevitable, that it's something we are all one day closer to our own deaths.
00:16:33
Speaker 2: It is just a reminder to live, live, Well.
00:16:38
Speaker 1: Folks, we appreciate you as always. I want to bring you down. I hope it brought you some joy. And maybe some of these names will remind you or inspire you to go start watching some of this stuff and listening to some of this music because this is a dream entertainment list to a certain degree. So, folks, we appreciate you spending time with us. I'm TJ on behalf of my dear Amy Ropak. Talk to you all soon.
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Friday, August 28th. Dolly Parton, Hayden Panettiere, Tim Curry. And that was just in the past week or so. What in the world is going on this summer with us losing so many celebrities? With that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Rose, we were talking about it just from August 16th with Hayden Panettiere. And Rose, I'm going back through this list. This has been a hell of a year and a hell of a summer.
00:00:36
Speaker 2: It really has been.
00:00:37
Speaker 1: This is freaky.
00:00:38
Speaker 2: You start to... put together because, yes.
00:00:40
Speaker 3: We remember the recent deaths, and they were big ones, huge ones, shocking ones. But when you start to go back and you've put a list together, my jaw just dropped.
00:00:51
Speaker 1: Because you forgot about Catherine O'Hara, didn't you?
00:00:52
Speaker 2: I did.
00:00:53
Speaker 1: That's how the year started. We were all stunned. What happened? Yes, Catherine O'Hara. We lost her at the beginning of this year. And, Rose, that started really what has been a hell of a year. And like I said, a hell of a summer. Remember how people always think these things happen in threes? They don't.
00:01:08
Speaker 3: But.
00:01:09
Speaker 1: it always feels like that in some way. Well, this is happening in fives and tens and whatnot.
00:01:13
Speaker 3: I mean, and we are losing legends, not just, you know, and look like people that actually are a part of our lives, whether that's healthy or not, but they are, they've been with us our entire lives. And so to, have them go and pass on is almost as if you've lost a sister or a mother or a grandmother in cases.
00:01:35
Speaker 2: You feel that close to some of these folks.
00:01:37
Speaker 1: And we're sitting here now. Literally, as we sit here, over my shoulder, big screen TV, we have Transformers playing because one of the iconic voices from the Transformers movies just passed away. Robes, you come in here. Every day, it seems, when we start our mornings, we are watching something or listening to something to pay tribute to somebody that just passed. This actor's movie, this artist's music. And so we were at it once again this morning. I don't know, Robes. I haven't seen anybody put together and say, wow, this is more celebrities than we've ever. I don't know how you can keep up with that kind of count. But Robes, when you talk about people who are part of stuff like even if you don't know his name, he was a part of the Sopranos.
00:02:17
Speaker 3: Right.
00:02:17
Speaker 1: We are losing people. You don't know his name, but he was a part of the blockbuster Transformers movies. They were all, even if they weren't the icons themselves, they were a part of things. Like you just said, robes were a part of our lives in such a major way. And we're losing them left and right. Yeah.
00:02:31
Speaker 3: I mean, Hayden was incredibly shocking at 36. She was the youngest one. A lot of these folks are getting older. But look, I don't know. What is considered old age these days?
00:02:42
Speaker 1: We're shocked when we hear anything. Anybody dies before 75.
00:02:47
Speaker 3: Yes, and like if you think about our president is 80, right? 80.
00:02:52
Speaker 1: Just turned 80. How'd you miss the big birthday, baby?
00:02:55
Speaker 2: Sorry, I can't believe.
00:02:56
Speaker 3: I was thinking maybe 81, but then no, I realized the big old 8-0. And honestly, like Dolly Parton, 80 when she died. Tim Curry, 80 when he died. And Victor Pastore, who you just mentioned, 80. when he died August 1st. So I wonder how much that plays into even President Trump's psyche, to see people your same age dying in large numbers.
00:03:21
Speaker 1: And we have, and we spent some time this morning, and I encourage everybody to do so. You should know this. You should check out the President's Truth Social when you can. It is a bizarre, really, collection of posts, of AI pictures, They're showing him younger, trying to show him with strength, comparing him to other presidents, putting himself next to George Washington and all kinds of things. Just this morning, I hope he has one, I showed it to you, all the pictures of a lot of presidents. At the very top is his picture, and it says, the greatest. Under there, it says, the almost greats, the average, then the failures. And he's listing all of these. Who does that?
00:04:02
Speaker 3: Look, this is not a politically motivated statement that I'm about to make, but I'm sorry when you get to that certain age, you do, you, there is in most people a mental decline and there is, and there have been plenty of cases where there is delusion.
00:04:19
Speaker 2: Attached to that.
00:04:20
Speaker 3: And that is literally what it appears to be when you look at his true social feed.
00:04:26
Speaker 1: He wrote, he had a, I'm sure he's at AI photo of him and he put an eight, the president posted an AI photo of him and Dolly Parton at the white house. It's odd stuff. So to your point, you post a lot of stuff about being younger and whatnot because 80, Robes, losing people who are 80 left and right. But just since August 16th, Robes, that was when Hayden Panettiere died. August 16th, we were coming in here every morning for work going, who? Who died? What happened? Wait, what? Every day. August 16th, Hayden died. She's 36 years old. Then August 19th was Michael Wright, the actor- who played in the five heartbeats. He died at 70. He had a long illness. Of course, Dolly died on the 25th. Also on the 25th, Tim Curry, both of them 80 years old. Wow. Tim Curry was iconic as well.
00:05:14
Speaker 2: Iconic. Rocky Horror Picture Show. He was the original Pennywise in It.
00:05:21
Speaker 3: You name it, he did his face and those dimples, and he just had that, you just know that face.
00:05:28
Speaker 2: And you've known it your whole life.
00:05:30
Speaker 3: And then Peter Cullen, at 85, died August 26th.
00:05:35
Speaker 1: Optimus Prime. So yeah, here we are, what is this day? We're at the 28th now. So that's just since August 16th. But Robes, the rest of the month of August included Victor Pastore from the Sopranos, but also Ben Jones from Dukes of Hazzard. He died on August 9th at the age of 84. But then you go back to June and July, Robes.
00:05:56
Speaker 2: This is remarkable.
00:05:57
Speaker 3: Isn't it?
00:05:58
Speaker 2: Yes, July. We lost Bonnie Tyler. July 8th, total eclipse of the heart. That was gutting. She was 75.
00:06:05
Speaker 3: Wow. And then this one was totally shocking and heartbreaking. Sam Neill at 78 died July 13th.
00:06:14
Speaker 2: That's a heartbreaker.
00:06:16
Speaker 1: Jurassic Park.
00:06:17
Speaker 3: I can't remember it either, but it was like no one was expecting it. It didn't seem like this was on anyone's radar. Hal Williams at the age of 91.
00:06:25
Speaker 1: From Sanford and Son in 227. That's a good life. 91 years old.
00:06:30
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, I loved him. That was July 15th.
00:06:32
Speaker 3: And then Arlene Smith died at the age of 84, July 29th, a member of the Chantelles.
00:06:37
Speaker 1: Yes, a record-breaking and really an iconic and one of the first successful black girl groups. Then you go back to June. Robes, there's a couple of icons in there.
00:06:49
Speaker 2: Peebo Bryson.
00:06:50
Speaker 1: There's a couple of icons in there.
00:06:51
Speaker 2: Oh, my God.
00:06:52
Speaker 3: At 75, again, way too young. Died on June 2nd. Gene Shalit made.
00:06:58
Speaker 2: It to 100. But we lost him June 12th. Oliver Tree, 32.
00:07:05
Speaker 1: What was that? It was a helicopter crash, wasn't it, down in, was that Brazil as well?
00:07:09
Speaker 2: I think it was Brazil. That was on June 14th. And then, oh, Dave Chase at 35. That was sad.
00:07:16
Speaker 1: A lot of people.
00:07:17
Speaker 3: June 16th.
00:07:18
Speaker 1: You heard from a lot of people in the industry after that saying, like, how did we lose sight of her?
00:07:23
Speaker 2: Childhood actors. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Childhood actors.
00:07:25
Speaker 3: A lot of people have linked her with Hayden Panettiere at a similar age, just 35.
00:07:31
Speaker 2: Hayden was 36.
00:07:32
Speaker 3: Then Tay Keith at 29.
00:07:36
Speaker 1: Music producer. They still don't have a cause of death. I think that was in Nashville. Really?
00:07:39
Speaker 2: They still don't know.
00:07:40
Speaker 1: They do not have a cause of death, yeah.
00:07:42
Speaker 3: But you've talked about how his name was invoked in so many songs that I didn't even realize, but he was the the genius behind a lot of songs.
00:07:49
Speaker 2: We all know and love.
00:07:51
Speaker 1: Yes, once I pointed it out, there are songs you know, and they're like, wait, I didn't know that was what they were saying at the beginning.
00:07:56
Speaker 3: I had no idea they were saying his name, kind of like DJ Khaled, like that same kind of leaving a mark.
00:08:02
Speaker 2: Clive Davis, again, a music genius.
00:08:05
Speaker 1: Genius. Can't get bigger than that, really, in music.
00:08:08
Speaker 2: No. 94 years old, June 22nd. Victor Willis.
00:08:11
Speaker 1: Also, icon, Robes. That's YMCA, the Village People, one of the founding members. 74 years old.
00:08:16
Speaker 2: That's young. June 30th.
00:08:18
Speaker 1: That feels young. Now, Kyle Busch, when we go back to May. Again, this is still summer, if you will. Look at those names, Robes. That is Ted Turner, Kyle Busch, Jason Collins. Those three made marks on their spaces like none other. Obviously, Ted Turner. the founder of CNN, died at 87. Jason Collins, the first NBA player, openly gay NBA player, Jason Collins.
00:08:42
Speaker 3: 47.
00:08:42
Speaker 2: It was cancer, right?
00:08:43
Speaker 3: Yeah. That was so incredibly sad. His husband paid such beautiful tribute to him. Kyle Busch. That was another shocking death at 41.
00:08:52
Speaker 1: He had pneumonia and something had gone on. He deteriorated really quickly. Like he was, He was still working.
00:09:00
Speaker 3: He was doing a driving simulator and didn't feel well and then died within days. He was supposed to be racing that weekend. And then Donald Gibb from Revenge of the Nerds, that was.
00:09:13
Speaker 2: A heartbreaker for you.
00:09:14
Speaker 1: It was.
00:09:16
Speaker 2: 71, again, way too young.
00:09:17
Speaker 1: That's young. But Robes, I was struck by... Again, Robes, these are not just... Jason Collins is a history maker. Ted Turner is a history maker. Peeble Bryson is other level. Clive Davis is legendary. Bonnie Tyler, legendary. Sam Neill, Robes. Jurassic frickin' Park. Robes, this is a... Ben Jones, even that show is one of the most iconic ever. These folks are not just... actors and working actors and had good careers. Robes, these are Michael Wright even. A lot of people might not be as familiar with him. Robes, that's stuff of my childhood. This list hurts.
00:10:03
Speaker 2: It does.
00:10:04
Speaker 3: It does hurt because, A, we have to all face our own mortality, I think. And when you see these people who seem larger than life, who seem like they're immortalized, maybe even in our minds, to see them.
00:10:16
Speaker 2: Pass, it does... Take your breath away.
00:10:20
Speaker 1: This, again, everything we just mentioned here, Robes, that was just our summer. Stay here. We'll remind you of how our year got started with some other iconic names and iconic entertainers. Passing away.
00:10:42
Speaker 3: Welcome back, everyone, to Amy and TJ. You know, we started this episode because we were actually having an organic conversation just about how it feels like. And we've always heard people say, oh, people die in threes. But we were talking, it just feels like so many people who we've known and loved have died just in the recent weeks. in the summer, but then even in 2026, this seems like an especially profound year of deaths. Maybe they're not more than others. It maybe just feels like that. But when you feel the weight of who has passed, this year does feel exceptional.
00:11:20
Speaker 1: You know, I think, and you said, I mean, the 16th, we're sitting here on the 28th recording this, Robes. I mean, that's been 12 days. It started with Hayden Panettiere and then Dolly and Tim, but So is that what it is, Robes?
00:11:34
Speaker 2: I think that's what it is.
00:11:34
Speaker 1: These were shocking. Maybe that's what's jolting us so much right now. Hayden, we're still messed up and pissed over that to a certain degree. Absolutely. And still don't have answers to that one. I mean, Dolly, pardon, for God's sake. So maybe, is that a part of it, Robes? It feels so much bigger because it's Clive Davis, right? Is that why? And then the year started, Robes, this messed everybody up.
00:11:58
Speaker 2: Catherine O'Hara's death.
00:11:59
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:12:00
Speaker 2: It actually personally hurt.
00:12:03
Speaker 3: And look, her tremendous, unbelievable career was just something to marvel at. This woman was brilliant in a comedic way that few women have ever been able to be in this world, truly. And then just even towards the end of her career, Schitt's Creek, are you kidding me? That is one of the finest, finest comedic series I have ever watched, and her brilliance led the way. I mean, everyone in that cast was amazing, but Moira, oh my God, forever. I will just, she stays with you. She stays with you. She just does.
00:12:43
Speaker 1: That was January, was hers, right?
00:12:46
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:12:46
Speaker 1: Was Catherine O'Hara, and was 71? She was so young.
00:12:50
Speaker 2: Yes, she was. I can get her exact age, but she was so young.
00:12:55
Speaker 1: That's how the year started, Robes. And with James Van Der Beek, Chuck Norris, Eric Dane.
00:13:03
Speaker 3: Right?
00:13:04
Speaker 1: Those, Eric Dane and James Van Der Beek, they were a part of some of the most iconic television that's ever been put out there.
00:13:11
Speaker 2: Oh, absolutely.
00:13:12
Speaker 3: I mean, Eric Dane, I just think about him. He was McSteamy, I believe. The other was McDreamy. I can't remember who was who in Grey's Anatomy. But yes, he's this strong, handsome, prince-like guy.
00:13:28
Speaker 2: Looking dude.
00:13:29
Speaker 3: And to think that he suffered ALS and had to go through just such a difficult couple of years, the weight and the toll that took on his daughters, just to watch it all happen. I mean, I know that he was committed to the cause and to raising funds and awareness about this disease that cruelly takes so many lives.
00:13:50
Speaker 2: But that was just such a sad, sad loss. He was what, 50 at the most. He was in his 50s, I think. He was young.
00:13:59
Speaker 1: Didn't he have pretty young kids?
00:14:01
Speaker 2: Teenage girls. Yeah, he, let's see.
00:14:04
Speaker 3: Oh, so he was just a year older than me. Actually, just by a couple months. So he was 50, 53.
00:14:10
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:14:11
Speaker 1: And then, of course, Chuck Norris, legendary. And that's funny. I didn't even know about, I didn't know there was a McSteamy. I knew about McDreamy.
00:14:20
Speaker 2: Oh, yeah, Mick.
00:14:21
Speaker 1: I didn't know that.
00:14:22
Speaker 2: Mick Steamy, yes.
00:14:23
Speaker 3: Oh, and he was definitely the heartthrob of Grey's Anatomy, without a doubt.
00:14:27
Speaker 1: I thought he was the other guy.
00:14:28
Speaker 3: It depends on what you like. Kind of nerdy, smart, or just hot and hunky. And Eric Dane was hot and hunky.
00:14:34
Speaker 1: But he was a doctor, so he's still smart.
00:14:36
Speaker 3: Oh, yeah.
00:14:36
Speaker 2: I wasn't saying he was dumb hot and hunky.
00:14:38
Speaker 1: Okay, I didn't know if his character was that. No, no, no.
00:14:42
Speaker 3: Yes, but McDreamy was Dr. Derek Shepard, of course. That was, why am I forgetting his name? Patrick Dempsey.
00:14:48
Speaker 2: Oh, of course.
00:14:49
Speaker 3: So Patrick Dempsey was McDreamy, and Eric Dane was McSteamy.
00:14:55
Speaker 2: For those of us who loved Grey's Anatomy.
00:14:57
Speaker 1: And the other thing, and I got this from, I wouldn't have put this together, but the USA Today did, Robes, that, well, Catherine O'Hara, Tim Curry. You know those two. But, Robes, there have been four cast members from Home Alone 2 that have died this year. Four cast members, like prominent cast members.
00:15:12
Speaker 2: That is so, that's freaky.
00:15:14
Speaker 1: One was the lady that was in the Pigeon Lady in the park. She passed. I remember that one. Another was a vocalist. I think she was at the, and it's hilarious, Robes. Her name was J.P. Morgan. Stop. She changed. She added the P. That was a stage name, J.
00:15:31
Speaker 3: Morgan.
00:15:31
Speaker 1: She added the P to be funny. But it's spelled J-A-Y-E. J.P. Morgan.
00:15:37
Speaker 2: That's funny.
00:15:38
Speaker 1: She died in 94.
00:15:39
Speaker 3: I love that she has this sense of humor. She died at 94.
00:15:43
Speaker 1: Wow. She died at 94. That's a hell of a life. But yeah, it's weird to... It's just been a weird year, babe. It's been a weird year. Hopefully it stops because we're tired of walking in every morning and saying who died.
00:15:54
Speaker 3: Well, and I was just going to say it's only August. So, look, I don't know. We haven't looked at the numbers statistic wise. I doubt there's any anomaly happening. It just feels like that because there are so many people. who were beloved and iconic and a part of our lives that have passed.
00:16:13
Speaker 2: And look, it's always a good thing to honor them, to remember them. And, um, just, and I.
00:16:18
Speaker 3: Think it's always a reminder too. We never know. We never know what tomorrow brings to live your life. Like it's your last day. That is just when I see these stories and when I'm reminded about the inevitable, that it's something we are all one day closer to our own deaths.
00:16:33
Speaker 2: It is just a reminder to live, live, Well.
00:16:38
Speaker 1: Folks, we appreciate you as always. I want to bring you down. I hope it brought you some joy. And maybe some of these names will remind you or inspire you to go start watching some of this stuff and listening to some of this music because this is a dream entertainment list to a certain degree. So, folks, we appreciate you spending time with us. I'm TJ on behalf of my dear Amy Ropak. Talk to you all soon.