Long before supermarket tabloids, entertainment news shows such as "Entertainment Tonight", "The Insider", "Access Hollywood" & "Extra", and the growth of celebrity Web sites such as TMZ.com, E! Online and others, there was Army Archerd. He was THE undisputed authority of everything Hollywood for over 5 decades, writing a column for the trade publication Variety and was a fixture on the Red Carpet the night before the Academy Awards were handed out. Tuesday, the legendary Hollywood columnist passed away at UCLA Medical Center due to lung cancer associated with mesothelioma at the age of 87. Army had plenty of contacts that separated fact from fiction during his career, and was well respected for his ability to accurately report the entertainment scene unlike any other in the business. Army was first to report when veteran actor Rock Hudson contracted AIDS in 1985, the first high profile celebrity to suffer the deadly disease. Army was also first to report of Julia Roberts jilting her fiance at the time, Kiefer Sutherland, in 1991. A year later, straight from Warren Beatty himself, Army was first to report on Warren getting married to Annette Bening. Army was also quite the greeter and presenter on Oscar night, long before the likes of E!, TV Guide Network and others started broadcasting "Live from the Red Carpet". Army was an American original and celebrity news won't be the same.
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