Art Buchwald Facts
The long running syndicated humorist Art Buchwald dies Wednesday of kidney failure. Here's a few facts about him:
* Buchwald checked into a hospice in February 2006, assuming he was near death. Influential friends such as author William Styron wrote eulogies at his behest, but he survived for nearly a year and wrote a book, "Too Soon to Say Goodbye," about his unexpected lease on life.
* He and partner Alain Bernheim sued Paramount Pictures in 1988 for plagiarism, claiming the Hollywood studio stole their script idea for the Eddie Murphy moving "Coming to America." They won and accepted a settlement from Paramount.
Buchwald never knew his mother because she was institutionalized shortly after his birth. He spent part of his childhood in foster homes and the Hebrew Orphan Asylum.
* Buchwald talked openly about his bouts with depression and once joked that he considered suicide but did not follow through because "I was afraid I wouldn't make it into The New York Times obituaries."
posted by failedeconomist @ 9:33 AM
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