Sammy Tran articles

When Kelsey Grammer walked onto Cheers in 1984, Dr. Frasier Crane had one basic job: get between Sam and Diane. He wasn't being introduced as television's next great sitcom character, and nobody was planning decades of Frasier Crane stories. Grammer was supposed to stick around briefly, serve his purpose, and disappear. Instead, he turned a temporary romantic obstacle into one of the longest-running roles in American television history.

Hillel Slovak rose to greatness in the LA club scene and eventually found himself in the spotlight with the iconic rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Sadly, his flirtation with fame would only last a short time. He had demons, and they were waiting in the wings to bring this ground-breaking guitarist to a tragic and early grave.

Before Instagram feeds and celebrity TikToks, teenage crushes arrived at the newsstand. A new issue of 16 Magazine could mean glossy photos, breathless interviews, and a face destined to be carefully torn out and taped to a bedroom wall. In the 1980s, Hollywood produced an absurd number of those faces, sometimes packing several future heartthrobs into the very same movie. Looking back at who actually dominated those magazine covers reveals just how quickly teenage tastes could change.

AJ Croce was only days away from his second birthday when his father, Jim Croce, passed in a plane crash—but that was only the beginning of AJ’s difficult story.

The 1980s gave us plenty of unforgettable TV shows, but sometimes one character swallowed the whole thing. A nerdy neighbor could become the real star, a supporting trio could convince writers to bring them back, and a wisecracking puppet could end up plastered on hundreds of products. Decades later, you might barely remember what their shows were about, but you'd recognize these characters in seconds.

As one of the countless musicians who threw everything away to bet on their dreams, Michael Clarke managed to work his way into a world-famous rock band almost by accident, but he didn’t exactly have the skills to match. However, while he was never mentioned among history’s greatest rock stars, that didn’t mean he was immune to that lifestyle—especially its worst parts.

Johnny Cash built part of his image around standing with outsiders—but decades later, his alleged Cherokee background became much harder to defend.

Missy Gold spent seven years growing up on television as Katie Gatling on Benson. Then, when the show ended, she did something unusual.