New Yorkers are clearly mourning the loss of Wendy Wasserstein, lioness of the contemporary theatre and, by all accounts, a warm and lovely woman. The NYT obituary celebrating her life and career is already #4 on MEL; at the Village Voice, theater critic and playwright Michael Feingold remembers her giggle, and at Bloomberg, legendarily tart critic John Simon (late of New York) only has nice things to say, calling her “delightful” “funny…and fun to be with” and a mensch (to get a sense of just how rare these compliments are, see Liesl Schillinger‘s excellent review of Simon’s criticism). Both remember her intelligence, humor, wit, sparkle and skill.

They are, of course, not alone in that regard; there will no doubt be more stories and op-ed essays to come. Below are just a few examples.

Wendy Wasserstein, Chronicler of Women’s Identity Crises, Dies [NYT]
Wendy Wasserstein [Village Voice]
Wasserstein’s Wit, Humanity Reflected in Plays: An Appreciation [Bloomberg]
Recalling the Stages of an Uncommon Life [NYDN]