CBS: Andy Rooney hospitalized in serious condition

[October 26, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Andy Rooney, who delivered his last essay on "60 Minutes" three weeks ago, was in the hospital Tuesday after developing serious complications following surgery.

CBS said the 92-year-old writer's condition was stable and, at the request of his family, offered no other information about his medical problems or where he was hospitalized.

The three-time Emmy-winner was a regular presence on television's most popular newsmagazine. Since 1978, "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" wrapped up the Sunday night program, often with a look at the absurdities of life and language.

Rooney could talk about what was in the news or what was in his closet. One of his Emmy Awards was for an essay about whether there was a real Mrs. Smith behind Mrs. Smith's Pies.

On Oct. 2, he delivered his 1,097th and final essay, saying it was a moment he dreaded.

"I wish I could do this forever. I can't, though," he said.

True to his often cantankerous nature, Rooney noted that he hated being recognized on the street. So if you see him in a restaurant, he said as he signed off, "please, just let me eat my dinner."

He's had a long career as a writer, and that's how he saw himself. He worked for the military newspaper Stars and Stripes and wrote four books about World War II. He wrote for entertainment personalities Arthur Godfrey and Garry Moore and had a longtime partnership with newsman Harry Reasoner.

With "60 Minutes" looking for something new at the end of its show, Rooney's first essay appeared on July 2, 1978: a complaint about people who kept track of how many people died in auto accidents over holiday weekends.

[Associated Press; By DAVID BAUDER]

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