Liz Smith, a legendary gossip columnist in New York for over three decades, has died at 94-years-old, according to The Hollywood Reporter. At one point during her career, Smith’s column was syndicated in about 75 papers around the world. She had has many as 50 million readers each day.
Smith, who was from Forth Worth, Texas, came to Manhattan in 1949 after getting her degree in journalism from the University of Texas. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she once famously defined gossip as “news running ahead of itself in a red satin dress.” She started her column at the New York Daily News in 1976. She moved from there to New York Newsday and then on to New York Post. She stayed at the Post until 2009, when she was asked to leave at 86-years-old.
“I was more shocked than anyone. I thought I was indispensable,” she told The Hollywood Reporter during an interview in April 2015. “Looking back, I just wasn’t what the powers that be wanted. And I don’t think it had anything to do with [Rupert] Murdoch himself.”
She then moved on to become a regular on WNBC-TV afternoon news program Live at Five and won a Daytime Emmy Award. She authored several books, including Natural Blonde, which was a memoir. In it, she came out as bisexual and acknowledged her relationship with archaeologist Iris Love.
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