From Death of an Artist: It’s Lonely Without You, Friends

From Death of an Artist: It’s Lonely Without You, Friends

Author: Pushkin Industries September 1, 2026 Duration: 46:35

Here's episode 2 of Leon's new series, Death of an Artist, a story about the joint suicide of a beloved children’s book author and her photographer husband that left behind an uneasy fellowship of friends and family caught between grief, confusion, anger, and envy. 

Michael and Petra Mathers left their house and the logistics of their afterlife to their friend Patty—unbeknownst to Patty’s sister Virginia, who considered herself one of Michael and Petra’s best friends. Patty and Virginia have different perspectives on what Michael and Petra did, but they agree on what it was like to be around them as a couple: awestruck and a bit excluded, something even Alice and Leon pick up on while looking at their dozens of photo albums. 

Find Death of an Artist wherever you get podcasts. And get early, ad-free access to the entire season now by subscribing to Pushkin+ on the Apple Podcasts show page or at pushkin.fm/plus.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


In Fiasco, a production of Pushkin Industries, host Leon Neyfakh doesn't just recount history-he reconstructs it, placing you inside the tense rooms and critical moments where things went wrong. Each season of this podcast meticulously examines a different political or governmental disaster, moving beyond the headlines to reveal the human decisions, bureaucratic failures, and unforeseen consequences that defined these events. The result is a gripping narrative that feels both immediate and deeply researched. You'll hear how the 2012 attack in Benghazi, which killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, ignited a political firestorm that reshaped American diplomacy and partisan combat. Neyfakh's storytelling illuminates how these crises are born and how their echoes shape our present. For anyone fascinated by the messy intersection of power, history, and human error, this is an essential listen. The podcast turns complex history into compelling audio, revealing the often-overlooked details that explain why we live with the aftermath of these fiascos today.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 46

Fiasco
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