John Dye was born in Amory, Mississippi, one of three sons, to James and Lynn Dye, a furniture manufacturer and homemaker. He was introduced to acting by playing the role of the youngest von Trapp child in a school production of The Sound of Music at Cleveland High School (CHS) in Cleveland, Tennessee. He performed as a trombonist in the CHS band program. While performing at Tupelo High School as Friedrich von Trapp, the eldest son, again in The Sound of Music Dye found himself bitten by the acting bug. After graduation, he enrolled at Mississippi State University in hopes of becoming a civil rights lawyer. After a year at Mississippi State University, he decided to become an actor, and was advised against it by his great-grandmother. He transferred to Memphis State and majored in theater. When he returned to Memphis, Dye discovered that a Judd Nelson film called Making the Grade (1984) was filming in the area. John Dye landed his first film role as “Skip.” In 1986 he starred alongside actresses Virginia Madsen and Cynthia Gibb in the comedy film Modern Girls. In 1987 Dye got his first leading role, in the film Campus Man, as Todd Barrett. That same year, he re-teamed with Nelson in the television miniseries Billionaire Boys Club. In 1989, he starred alongside actors James Earl Jones and Eric Roberts in the martial-arts drama Best of the Best.

By the time the 1990s came around, John Dye decided to make a move towards television. He was cast as Private Francis “Doc Hoc” Hockenbury in the last season of Tour of Duty. When the series finished, he moved on to short-lived series such as Jack’s Place (1992) and Hotel Malibu (1994). In 1994, he appeared as Andrew the “Angel of Death” on Touched by an Angel with Roma Downey & Della Reese. Originally cast as a recurring character, by the third season he was made a regular cast member as his character quickly became popular. The show ran for nine seasons before ending in April 2003. In 2000, he starred in the television movie Once Upon a Christmas. In 2001, he appeared in the sequel Twice Upon a Christmas. In the 1985 music video for the ZZ Top song “Sleeping Bag”, he appeared alongside fellow actors Tracey Walter and Heather Langenkamp. John Dye was found dead in his home in San Francisco, California on January 10, 2011. His family reported that he died due to heart-related problems. His funeral was held at St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church in his hometown of Amory, Mississippi, where he and his family were members. His resting place is at Haughton Memorial Park, Amory.