I’m so sick and tired of reporting about death, but at least this guy had a prolific career and full life. Columnist Army Archerd passed away yesterday at the age of 87.
Beyond reporting entertainment news at Daily Variety for an unheard of 56 years, he was also the official greeter at the Academy Awards for 47 years. He emceed the red carpet for decades and he did it a lot better than Joan Rivers.
Notable points in his career include:
- He broke the story about Rock Hudson dying of AIDS. At the time, Hudson was the most high-profile celebrity to be associated with the disease.
- He publicly refused to support blacklist director Elia Kazan when he was awarded a 1999 honorary Academy.
- In 1995, after Archerd wrote of his dismay of Michael Jackson’s lyrics to the song HIStory (“Jew me, Sue me”), Jackson contacted the columnist and re-recorded new lyrics.
Archerd is survived by his wife, Selma and son, Evan.