In Memoriam - Art Buchwald

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author Art Buchwald once said, "Dying is easy. Parking is impossible." Buchwald died yesterday at the age of 81.

In his Friday column, Washington Post staff writer David Von Drehle writes:

They say Art Buchwald is dead, but I have my doubts.

The last time Art was dying, months and months ago, he turned the hospice common room into a cavalcade of stars, from Ethel Kennedy to Donald Rumsfeld. Art basked in their adulation and gorged on the junk food they lovingly set before him. The man spent some of his best years in Paris, but his dying wish was McDonald's.

Eventually, he felt so much better that he relaunched his legendary newspaper column with tales of his near-death, and -- between columns and VIPs -- cranked out another book, number 30-something, called "Too Soon to Say Goodbye."

For most people, dying is a milestone. For Buchwald, it was fresh material.

Other noteable Buchwald quotes include:

“If you attack the establishment long enough and hard enough, they will make you a member of it.”

“We seem to be going through a period of nostalgia, and everyone seems to think yesterday was better than today. I don't think it was, and I would advise you not to wait ten years before admitting today was great. If you're hung up on nostalgia, pretend today is yesterday and just go out and have one hell of a time.”

“Whether it's the best of times or the worst of times, it's the only time we've got.”