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January 19, 2007

Art Buchwald Dies at 81

The humorist Art Buchwald , famous for his satirical newspaper columns, died January 17, 2007. He died one year after he refused dialysis for kidney failure which he was told would cause his death imminently. His life story is told in a front page obituary in the New York Times of January 19.

His early life was marked by trauma. He decided as a young child to turn his despair into humor. A few weeks after he was born into a Jewish immigrant family, his mother was hospitalized for delusions and remained in the hospital the rest of her life. He was forbidden to see her and after he was an adult he decided not to visit her. His father was unable to take care of him, and he was sent to an orphanage at age three, followed by a series of foster homes until the family was later reunited. An account of his early distress and his ultimate success is contained in his memoir, Leaving Home. He has wondered if his birth caused his mother’s illness and he told his psychiatrist that he has conducted "a lifelong search to replace her."

Although he was characteristically upbeat and able to enjoy life, he underwent several serious depressions along with suicidal feelings. At one point he and two friends, Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes and the novelist William Styron, were experiencing depressions at the same time, and they formed a sort of mutual support group, naming themselves the Blues Brothers.

Posted by admin at January 19, 2007 11:23 AM