CBS commentator Andy Rooney dies at 92

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CBS commentator Andy Rooney dies at 92

By the CNN Wire Staff
Sat November 5, 2011

(CNN) -- Legendary CBS News commentator Andy Rooney, known to millions for his dry commentaries on mundane topics, died Friday night in New York. He was 92.

He had been hospitalized after suffering "serious complications" following minor surgery last month.

"It's a sad day at '60 Minutes' and for everybody here at CBS News," said Jeff Fager, chairman of CBS News and the executive producer of '60 Minutes.' "It's hard to imagine not having Andy around. He loved his life and he lived it on his own terms. We will miss him very much."

Rooney got his start in journalism as a writer in the Army and went onto spend nearly six decades at CBS, half behind the camera as a writer and producer and then as an on-air commentator in 1978 when he joined "60 Minutes." His show-ending commentaries earned him the title, King of Grouch.

On looking for a job, he said: "We need people who can actually do things. We have too many bosses and too few workers. More college graduates ought to become plumbers or electricians, then go home at night and read Shakespeare."

On his bushy eyebrows: "I try to look nice. I comb my hair, I tie my tie, I put on a jacket, but I draw the line when it comes to trimming my eyebrows. You work with what you got."

On the "shock and awe" campaign that started the Iraq war in 2003: The phrase "makes us look like foolish braggarts."

He thought of himself as an ordinary guy and wanted to keep it that way.

"Part of my success," he said, "is how average I am. I'm a very normal guy. It does not occur to me walking down the street that anyone on the street recognizes me and it bugs me when they do."

He wore his curmudgeon status like a uniform, said a CBS statement Saturday.

"His essays struck a cord in viewers by pointing out life's unspoken truths or more often complaining about its subtle lies," the statement said.

Rooney was born in Albany, New York, on January 14, 1919. He attended Colgate University until he was drafted into the Army in 1941 and began writing for the "Stars and Stripes." He won a Bronze Star for his reporting on the battle of St. Lo, France.

He joined CBS in 1949 as a writer for Arthur Godfrey's radio and television entertainment show.

He went on to collaborate between 1962 and 1968 on a series of essays with his friend, the late newsman Harry Reasoner.

Over his long career, he earned six Writers Guild of America awards, one Peabody and four Emmys, two of which were for his show-ending commentaries on "60 Minutes."

He was suspended from his job for three 3 months without pay in 1990 for comments in The Advocate newspaper that offended blacks and homosexuals. He denied making the comments about blacks, later apologizing for those he made about homosexuals, and was reinstated after 24 days.

In 2004, he again drew controversy when on "60 Minutes" he called actor Mel Gibson and the Rev. Pat Robertson "wackos." He received more than 30,000 pieces of mail and e-mail about the remark.

Rooney announced Oct. 2, 2011 in his 1,097th essay for "60 Minutes" that he would no longer appear regularly and delivered his last commentary, in signature style.

"I recently bought this new laptop to use when I travel," he said. "Look at that, though. It fits right into the briefcase. It weighs less than three pounds. I lose that much getting mad, waiting to get on the plane through security at the airport. "


http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/05/us/obit-a ... index.html

[bao-bao]

That's extremely sad news for those who knew and loved him.

As much as I bitched about him losing his touch on the show over the last 10 years or so I'd greatly enjoyed his writing and 60 Minute bits for decades. Fortunately his best work has been recorded and published.

I hope he went peacefully.