Army Archerd, Daily Variety Writer Dies at 87 From Mesothelioma

by Amy Judd | September 8, 2009 at 06:57 pm

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Army Archerd, best known for being a writer for Daily Variety for over 50 years has died from a rare form of mesothelioma cancer, thought to have been due to exposure to asbestos when he served in the Navy during World War II.

He was a famous Hollywood gossip columnist and poineered the gossip magazine today.

One of his biggest scoops was revealing that Rock Hudson had AIDS in 1985, but always said it was one of the most difficult stories of his career.

Archerd, born Armand Archerd in New York City, started out at the Associated Press before moving to Daily Variety, where his daily "Just For Variety" column was required breakfast reading in Hollywood.

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