Entertainment News Legend Army Archerd Dies at Age 87
Sep. 9 2009, Published 5:55 a.m. ET
It's a sad day for Hollywood, as we say farewell to a legend, Variety columnist Army Arched, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 87 after a battle with mesothelioma.
Archerd began writing for Daily Variety in 1953 and in his long tenure at the influential publication, earned a reputation as an honest and responsible diarist of the good, bad and ugly of Hollywood life.
Of the thousands of stories written by Archerd, easily the most notorious was a 1985 piece that outed silver-screen star Rock Hudson as both a homosexual and an AIDS patient.
Archerd was also a well-known figure on the red carpet at the Oscars, where for more than 50 years he interviewed the world's biggest names as they made their way into the annual ceremony.
Army is survived by Selma, his wife of 39 years.
Our thoughts are with his family in this dark time.