Hollywood celebrity journalist Army Archerd has died at the age of 87 in Los Angeles. Archerd died from mesothelioma cancer that came from asbestos, that he was likely exposed to in the Navy during World War II.

Archerd wrote for the Hollywood movie paper Variety for 56 years and with a daily column for 52 of those years.

Archerd was one of the first writers to link AIDS to a celebrity when he wrote a piece detailing, amid denials from the actor’s publicists and managers, that Rock Hudson was undergoing treatment for AIDS.

For 47 years, Archerd was the official greeter of the Academy Awards, serving as emcee and interviewer of stars on Oscar’s red carpet.

He was also co-hosted and produced the People’s Choice Awards from its inception and often appeared on E! during the 90′s to discuss celebrities and gossip news.

Archerd is survived by his wife Selma, three sons and five grandchildren.

Army Archerd paved the path for what many of us do now.  He always did it in a first class and professional way. He was rarely confrontational and always treated celebrities with respect, even when they didn’t deserve it.  Army became as big a celebrity over his 60 years in the business as those he covered.

[images: wenn.com]