Adam Epstein.

Dirty Moderates,

After a whirlwind battle with a vicious, wildly aggressive brain tumor, I am heartbroken to share that Adam Epstein has died at the age of 49.

Adam was a 12-time, Tony Award-winning, former Broadway powerhouse producer who, in his second act with his Masters in American Studies from Brown in hand, turned political provocateur and became the Host of Dirty Moderate. Adam went toe-to-toe with a bevy of heavy hitters from the Beltway and beyond, fearlessly bringing his centrist perspective with grit, intellectual prowess, and undeniable charm. And that barely scratches the surface of who and what he was.

Adam was a firecracker. A brilliant, beautiful, vivacious, layered and dynamic genius.

Adam was a STAR.

2.5 years ago, we met in Austin, Texas, COVID be damned, and spent 7 straight days and nights eating, drinking, and talking about democracy. Neck deep in history and passion, Adam, Jeremy, and I cobbled together the idea to create a podcast that would save democracy one episode at a time. And we meant it.

We decided to create a haven for the folks who, back then, weren’t really on the radar. The Moderates. The Independents. The Party confused, or politically homeless, we used to say. The Americans seeking America at a time when their president was suggesting they drink bleach and the world as we knew it was completely upside down. We wanted to showcase the people who cut through the nails-on-a-chalkboard-din of the modern-day American political scene, and challenge them to share their actual thoughts at a time when both parties were bordering on collapse.

And we did.

“Democracy depends upon our collective, tireless fight. Our lack of fulsome vigilance is nothing less than a path to authoritarianism.”

- Adam

Like some of Adam’s political heroes - John McCain, Ronald Reagan, and of course, Abraham Lincoln - Adam was a true original, never to be replicated, and the world is less vibrant without him. It is truly still unfathomable that he is gone.

Our last call was 2+ hours of planning and strategizing through November. How we were going to decimate Trump and continue this journey, excited to see each other to broadcast the Democratic National Convention together from Los Angeles. He was so vibrant and positive and dismissive of this tumor “inconvenience”. Nothing could stop him. He asked me to reach out to Liz Cheney for an interview as his 50th birthday present on September 7… At the end of the call, I had Adam promise me he would stay dirty, stay moderate, and stay safe until I arrived. We laughed, never envisioning he wouldn’t be here.

Hug the ones you love and cherish. Be grateful for today. Feel the sun on your face.

Register to vote. Stand up for democracy.

Stay dirty. Stay moderate. And stay safe.

xo D

For condolences:

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to support  Dr. Cloughesy’s GBM (Gliobastoma Multiforme) research can be made to:

The UCLA Foundation for the UCLA Brain Cancer Research Fund (#61893C).

Below is the link to make online donations to this fund: https://giving.ucla.edu/Standard/NetDonate.aspx?SiteNum=168