Dead Famous

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Marilyn Monroe’s death was ruled a probable suicide, but for decades, that explanation has never quite satisfied.

In this episode of Dead Famous, we look at the life, fame, and final days of Marilyn Monroe, examining how power, politics, and celebrity collided around one of the most famous women in history. From studio control and prescription dependency to her links with powerful men, we separate fact from rumour, and ask why Marilyn’s story still invites so much suspicion.

Was she silenced? Failed? Or simply exhausted by a world that wouldn’t let her stop performing?

Research and writing - Elliott Caddy

Theme music arranged and composed by Holly-Jane Shears -
www.soundcloud.com/deaddoginblackbag
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you would like to help me realise my dream of becoming a full time podcaster, you can support me here: https://buymeacoffee.com/deadfamous

In this episode of Dead Famous, we explore the life and death of Brittany Murphy — a rare and magnetic talent whose sudden death in 2009 raised questions that have never fully gone away.

Officially ruled natural causes, Murphy’s passing was followed by a series of unsettling details, conflicting accounts, and a shocking development that reframed everything we thought we knew about her final months. What began as a tragic loss slowly became something stranger, murkier, and far harder to dismiss.

I’m joined by Grace Cordell from the REDRUM podcast to unpack Brittany’s rise, her isolation at the height of fame, and the disturbing twist that continues to haunt her case.

This is not a conspiracy episode — it’s an examination of how fame, control, and silence can shape a story long after the headlines fade.

Check out Grace's podcasts:
https://open.spotify.com/show/1FCoeRZQeDkEJ5i8bGuFpy?si=f6CUhhz5TOSkuV-_od8k9g

https://open.spotify.com/show/7FgXz5gHxlfhrCLbB6N6qP?si=GJJY78h_QqmL3zaxTZycTw

Research and writing - Elliott Caddy

Theme music arranged and composed by Holly-Jane Shears -
www.soundcloud.com/deaddoginblackbag
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support me here: https://buymeacoffee.com/deadfamous

In this episode of Dead Famous, we unravel the chaotic life and sudden death of Pete Burns, the sharp-tongued, sharp-cheekboned frontman of Dead or Alive. Bursting out of Liverpool’s punk and club scenes, Burns clawed his way to global fame in the mid-1980s with You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) — a song that made him a pop star almost overnight.

But success never sat comfortably. Burns was confrontational, funny, self-destructive, and relentlessly uncompromising, torching relationships with record labels, bandmates, the press, and just about anyone else who crossed him. As the hits dried up, he became better known for reality TV chaos, brutal one-liners, and an escalating obsession with cosmetic surgery that left him physically and financially wrecked.

Behind the makeup, the fame, and the mythology was a man living on the edge — of debt, of addiction, and of his own body.

This is the story of a man who refused to be normal, refused to be quiet, and paid a brutal price for spinning too fast, too hard, and too close to the spotlight.

Research and writing - Elliott Caddy

Theme music arranged and composed by Holly-Jane Shears -
www.soundcloud.com/deaddoginblackbag
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support me here: https://buymeacoffee.com/deadfamous

In 2025, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their Santa Fe home.

What followed was a series of details that raised difficult questions — not about fame or legacy, but about time, vulnerability, and what may have happened inside a house that had gone unnoticed.

In this episode of Dead Famous, we focus on the final days: a private life narrowed to a single space, the realities of illness and dependency, and the unsettling silence that surrounded the couple before they were discovered.

This is not a story told through spectacle or scandal. It’s a story about absence. About routines breaking down. About how quickly things can unravel when no one is watching — and how death doesn’t always arrive in a single moment, but can stretch quietly across days.

Some endings are loud. Others happen slowly, behind closed doors.

Research and writing - Elliott Caddy

Theme music arranged and composed by Holly-Jane Shears - www.soundcloud.com/deaddoginblackbag

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support me here: https://buymeacoffee.com/deadfamous

Aaliyah was only 22 years old when she died in a plane crash in the Bahamas — a death that shocked the music industry and devastated her fans worldwide.

In this episode of Dead Famous, we examine the events that led to Aaliyah boarding a small aircraft that should never have taken off. From industry pressure and poor safety decisions to ignored warnings and systemic negligence, this is a story about how risk was normalised around a young
star.

This episode cuts through myth and speculation to focus on documented facts: what went wrong, who made the decisions, and how fame insulated those responsible from meaningful consequences.

Aaliyah’s death wasn’t a mystery. It was the result of choices — and a system that repeatedly prioritised schedules and profit over safety.

Research and writing - Elliott Caddy

Theme music arranged and composed by Holly-Jane Shears -www.soundcloud.com/deaddoginblackbag
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices