Liz Taylor’s Obituary Writen By A Dead Man

Yes, you read that right.  And the video will make sense here in a bit.

Earlier today, screen legend Elizabeth Taylor passed away.  The NY Times ran an obituary written by Mel Gussow,

"Elizabeth Taylor, the actress who dazzled generations of moviegoers with her stunning beauty and whose name was synonymous with Hollywood glamour, died Wednesday in Los Angeles. She was 79."

Mel Gussow was featured in his own article in the NY Times in 2005,

"Mel Gussow, the longtime critic and cultural reporter for The New York Times who championed the work of many of the major playwrights of the post World War II period, including Harold Pinter, Edward Albee and Tom Stoppard, died Friday at New York-Presbyterian Hospital."

Gussow passed away of cancer 6 years before Liz Taylor died.  The common story now is that major newspapers have pre-written obituaries on file for aging celebrities.  This is not something that the NY Times is trying to hide.  At the end of the article on the website, they acknowledge Gussow as the primary writer and that he passed away in 2005, giving updating reporting credit to William McDonald and William Grimes.

This reminded me of a great skit by Dana Carvey...

Liz Taylor's Obituary & Mel Gussow's Obituary