Veteran Variety Columnist Army Archerd Dies at 87

Veteran entertainment journalist Army Archerd, who wrote a column for the entertainment trade publication Variety for over 50 years, has died. He was 87.

Archerd's spokeswoman said he died Tuesday at UCLA Medical Center of mesothelioma, a cancer of the lungs strongly tied to asbestos exposure.

Archerd began his career at The Associated Press and later went on to write about the entertainment industry at Variety. His most significant scoop came in 1985 when Archerd reported that Rock Hudson was undergoing treatment for AIDS, despite denials by Hudson's spokesman.

According to the LA Times, Archerd, who wrote more than 10,000 columns "Over the years, as the relationship between entertainment journalists and movie stars evolved from fawning to sometimes harshly objective, Archerd, perhaps best known for his televised job as official greeter of stars each year outside the Academy Awards, remained a respected figure by generations of industry insiders who praised him for his integrity, truthfulness and kindness.

Archerd, who retired from his "Just for Variety" column on Sept. 1, 2005, but returned soon after with a Variety blog, was also known as a journalist who never forgot which side of the red carpet he was on. In 1996, he told The Times, "I don't burn out because I'm not part of the scene, I'm looking at the scene. I don't get involved like some unnamed people who cover this business.""

He was one of the first journalist to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.