Liz Smith Has Passed Away

Legendary gossip columnist Liz Smith has passed away at the age of 94 from natural causes. Smith began writing her own column at the New York Daily News in 1976. In the 1990s, that column became syndicated and ran in both Newsday and the New York Post. On criticism that she was too friendly with celebrities, Smith said, “I needed access to people. And you’re not supposed to seek access. You’re just supposed to be pure and you go to the person you’re writing about and you write the truth. Nobody can do it totally. But everybody gives up something to be able to do a job, a demanding job. And being a reporter is a demanding, dangerous job. It may be glamorous or put you in harm’s way. I gave up being considered ethical and acceptable, for a while.” Read her full obituary at the New York Post.