Obituaries

Television critic John J. O'Connor worked for The New York Times for over 25 years.

To put it in perspective, he was around to call David Frost's interview with Richard Nixon a program that raised "serious questions about the contemporary crafts of marketing and communication." He was around to say that the television mini-series "Roots" was a giant step forward for popular entertainment. He debated the merits between the Simpson and Cosby families, and one of his last pieces for The Times involved Ellen DeGeneres' coming out on national television, which O'Connor had mixed feelings about, calling it "a promotional tool" for what was once a "a delicate, if not traumatic, rite of passage" for gay men and women.

He died last night in his home, at age 76 of lung cancer, survived by his partner Seymour Barofsky. O'Connor may have left The Times in 1997, but as we discovered while searching for examples of his work, many of his reviews can still be found on the paper's Web site, so you can take a moment to read back through some of his best works.

John J. O'Connor, a Times TV Critic in Years of Industry Upheaval, Dies at 76 --New York Times

(Photo courtesy of The New York Times)

Dealmaker, Lazard Ltd. CEO and New York magazine owner Bruce Wasserstein died yesterday at age 61. News of his untimely death filtered through the media world yesterday afternoon, resulting in many tributes and remembrances from those on the media beat.

Not surprisingly, New York magazine's Daily Intel blog had the most touching tribute to Wasserstein, saluting his commitment to journalism and his love of the publication that he took ownership of in 2004:

"Unlike the private investors who often buy publications like New York, Bruce had no interest in using the magazine to advance a personal agenda. On the contrary, he had a journalist's curiosity and took pleasure in the provocative. At monthly meetings with the magazine brain trust, he wanted to talk as much about the latest news, or politics, or shifting currents of all kinds as he did about New York itself."

Over at The New York Times' blog Media Decoder, David Carr reflected on Wasserstein's New York deal:

"Many of the bidders thought they had the magazine in the bag, but then Mr. Wasserstein, as was his habit, came swinging in out of nowhere and took the prize off the table. None of the bidders knew more about the use of leverage and muscle than Bruce Wasserstein, so it was assumed that it would become one more accessory used to personal ends.

It became a great magazine instead."

The New York Observer has gathered some reactions from Wassersteins former associates and friends, including Carl Icahn:

"It's sad, it's a sad thing. He was a good friend and he was one of the few real bright guys on Wall Street. I always respected his views."

The Observer also asks what will happen to New York following Wasserstein's death. The paper reports that the magazine was owned by a family trust, so New York will be passed along to his wife and children. Will one of them become the magazine's new owner, or will they sell the property?

Related: Editorial Independence, Bruce Wasserstein-Style

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nan Robertson, 83, passed away yesterday after a battle with heart disease. Robertson, who was always frank in her writing about her alcoholism, opened the floodgates when she released her book The Girls in the Balcony, which highlighted the gender inequality at The New York Times.

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In its November issue, Vanity Fair, where Dominick Dunne contributed countless articles since the mid-1980's, has a detailed tribute to the tireless journalist and chronicler of Hollywood life and high profile court cases, written by executive online editor Michael Hogan, who first met Dunne while working as the assistant to editor Wayne Lawson.

Wrote Hogan:

"What makes his accomplishments all the more astonishing is how low he was just three decades ago. Before he became one of the most instantly recognizable magazine writers in the world, Dominick Dunne's only claim to fame was his epic, humiliating failure."

The must-read article highlights Dunne's work throughout his life, particularly his propensity to identify with the victims of horrible crimes as he covered the trials of Claus von Bulow, the Menendez brothers and O.J. Simpson -- an affect arising out of his experience with the murder of his own daughter Dominique, whose killer John Sweeney was convicted of a lesser charge of manslaughter:

"Dominick's article about John Sweeney's case was published in the March 1984 issue of Vanity Fair under the title 'Justice.' Even today, you can feel the rage pulsating behind his carefully chosen words."

Hogan also talks of Dunne's various feuds with family and friends over the years, from his own brother John to the Kennedy family, who seemed to haunt Dunne even to the day of his death last month.

"Dominick died on August 26, but fate had prepared one last humbling joke for him. The night before, Ted Kennedy had beaten him to the punch. The man who, in Dominick's estimation, had 'lived recklessly, performed brilliantly in Congress, and often failed miserably in life' was all anybody could talk about.

Even in death, Dominick was being tormented by the family he resented most. It was the kind of story that would have amused the hell out of him--if only it had happened to someone else."

Read more: Our Man Dominick --Vanity Fair

Earlier: Vanity Fair Columnist, Prolific Author Dominick Dies

Since his death yesterday, William Safire's colleagues have been offering tribute. Here's a few of our favorites:

Former New York Times columnist Leslie H. Gelb writes on Forbes.com about advice Safire offered him on column writing many years ago:

"Half the columns you write will be no better than C+. Write them and go home...And make sure that at least twice a year you make somebody bleed in your column."

In its obituary, The Washington Post called the former Nixon speech writer "rapier-witted":

"His catchy turns of phrase often outlived the context in which they were delivered. Perhaps the most memorable was the acidic and alliterative putdown he crafted for Vice President Spiro T. Agnew to describe those in the press who opposed the Vietnam war. They were, Agnew said, 'nattering nabobs of negativism.'"

In its short and sweet tribute, The Wall Street Journal lauded Safire for as a conservative and a wordsmith:

"Unlike many columnists, Safire did not soar at 35,000 feet bemoaning what fools these mortals be. He did his own reporting, digging up stories and anecdotes that embarrassed politicians who deserved to be embarrassed. He was a master of his craft, a student of the English language who loved the playful use of words."

But no one can be quite as eloquent as the man himself, who is best paid tribute to through his own work, like this tongue-in-cheek column from 2005, reprinted by the Times today, that instructs readers who to digest a political column with 12 simple rules. Like number 10:

"Resist swaydo-intellectual writing. Only the hifalutin trap themselves into 'whomever' and only the tort bar uses the Latin for 'who benefits?' Columnists who show off should surely shove off. (And avoid all asinine alliteration.)"

Earlier: William Safire, NYT Columnist, Dies At 79

(Photo by Fred R. Conrad)

The New York Times is reporting that William Safire, a Nixon speechwriter, former Times op-ed columnist and -- most recently -- the writer of the "On Language" in The New York Times Magazine every Sunday, died today of pancreatic cancer at age 79.

An accomplished, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Safire wrote his twice weekly op-ed column "Essay" for the Times from 1973 until 2005. His last column was entitled, "Never Retire." He started writing the "On Language" column in 1979, with his last column running on September 13.

Safire also wrote four novels as well as nonfiction books like Safire's Political Dictionary, which he updated last year. He appeared on "The Daily Show" in April 2008 to promote the book and discuss the election -- check out his interview with Jon Stewart above.

Safire had an amazing, lengthy career and undoubtedly left his mark on political opinion writing and language. Today's Times obituary is moving and personal, an endearing tribute to one of their own. If you liked Safire, you should read it in its entirety, but here is one of our favorite passages:

"He was hardly the image of a buttoned-down Times man: The shoes needed a shine, the gray hair a trim. Back in the days of suits, his jacket was rumpled, the shirt collar open, the tie askew. He was tall but bent - a man walking into the wind. He slouched and banged a keyboard, talked as fast as any newyawka and looked a bit gloomy, like a man with a toothache coming on."

Right now, the public memorial for Walter Cronkite is just getting started at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.

TVNewser editors Chris and Kevin are on the scene and Tweeting from the event. So far, they've spotted NBC News' Steve Capus chatting with Rick Kaplan of CBS, Liz Smith sitting next to former Foxnews.com columnist Roger Friedman along with news anchors Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, Charlie Gibson and Dan Rather.

Cronkite's longtime home CBS will is streaming live coverage of the service on CBSnews.com and TVNewser will have a full report on the memorial later today.

Will you be tuning it to the Web-cast?

TVNewser: Gathering For The Walter Cronkite Memorial Service

Sadly, news that journalist and author Dominick Dunne had died last night has been eclipsed by the story of Sen. Edward Kennedy's passing.

However, having just learned of Dunne's death, we thought it only right to pay tribute to him here. Dunne's Vanity Fair column, which focused on the glamorous and seedy parts of celebrity, including the high profile trials of OJ Simpson, the Menendez brothers and Phil Spector, was always our favorite thing to read in the glossy society mag.

According to the Associated Press, Dunne, who was 83, had battled bladder cancer for some time. He had traveled to places like Germany, the Dominican Republic and Bavaria for different cancer treatments -- even claiming that he was at the same clinic as Farrah Fawcett in Bavaria, although they did not cross paths.

Update: Mediabistro.com broke news of Dunne's cancer in March 2008. "I'm undergoing treatments now," Dunne said at the time. "I've got cancer of the bladder -- urinary tract -- not very attractive...I just knew there was something wrong. I came back and they found this. I've taken the first of six treatments and then I go in the hospital and they go in and see how much they got."

Dunne started his career in television and film, and only started writing at age 50 after being run out of Hollywood. He started by writing novels, including "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles." He started to write for Vanity Fair in the 1980's after meeting Tina Brown at a dinner party. He started his gig by covering the trial of the former boyfriend accused of killing his daughter Dominique, John Sweeney.

His work for Vanity Fair and his many books are his legacy. He will be missed.

Related: So What Do You Do, Dominick Dunne, Author, Vanity Fair Special Correspondent?

via the AP

As the day has progressed, many media outlets have announced plans to pay tribute to Sen. Edward Kennedy. Here's some of what we're getting ready to see:

Time magazine is planning a commemorative issue that will feature Kennedy on the cover with tributes inside from Joe Klein, Bob Shrum, Ted Sorensen and Mike Barnicle. It is set to hit newsstands Friday. The last time Time put out a commemorative issue was to mark Michael Jackson's death in June.

Tonight at 9 p.m., MSNBC will present a "first look" of "The Kennedy Brothers: A Hardball Documentary." The doc will also air, as scheduled, tomorrow at 7.

At 10 p.m., ABC News will broadcast an hour-long special, "Remembering Ted Kennedy," which will focus on his life and legacy, anchored by Charles Gibson from Hyannis Port, Mass. and Diane Sawyer in New York.

TVNewser has a list of some of the other television specials that will be airing tonight on the networks and cable news channels.

We're sure there will be more to come. If you hear of anything interesting memorializing Kennedy let us know.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy died late last night at age 77 after a battle with brain cancer. Although his death came at a late hour, many newspapers were able to quickly shift gears and get photos and stories of Kennedy up on their front pages.

One front page noticeably devoid of Kennedy tributes, however, was The New York Times. But what the Grey Lady lacked in on-paper obituaries it made up for on its Web site. The paper's home page prominently features the legendary senator and the "Today's Paper" page features Kennedy's obituary as the top story of the day, even though it wasn't on the actual front page of the paper. The Times' Caucus blog is also in the memorial spirit, highlighting excerpts from Kennedy's speeches.

Meanwhile, our colleagues at TVNewser have a report on how the networks and cable news channels covered the news of Kennedy's death when it broke last night, as well as coverage of President Barack Obama's statement this morning about Kennedy. And GalleyCat reports that Kennedy's upcoming memoir, "True Compass," is being pushed up to mid-September.

AgencySpy also notes that Kennedy died exactly one year after his historic speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, given shortly after he underwent brain surgery.

Kennedy's speech from last year can be seen after the jump

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