WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Art Buchwald, the newspaper columnist who poked fun at politicians for decades, died of kidney failure Wednesday at the Washington home of his son. He was 81.
Buchwald found material in the issues he faced near the end of his life, the Washington Post said Thursday, turning his experiences at a hospice into the book, "Too Soon To Say Goodbye," published in November.
Kidney and vascular problems forced doctors to amputate one of his legs just below the knee in January 2005. In February, he entered Washington Home and Community Hospices, which he described as "a place where you go when you want to go."
He left the hospice in July.
Buchwald flashed his sense of humor until he slipped into unconsciousness just before he died, said longtime friend, Washington Post Vice President at-Large Benjamin Bradlee.
His column won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1982. He also published more than 30 books.
Buchwald was preceded in death by his wife, Ann, who died in 1994. He is survived by three children, two sisters and five grandchildren.
