Art Buchwald: 1925-2007

Author and humorist Art Buchwald holds a golf club during the Possible Dreams Auction 2006 in Edgartown, Mass., on Marthas Vineyard Island on Aug. 7, 2006. Buchwald, whose wry political and social satire made him a pillar of the nation's capitol for more than four decades and earned him a Pulitzer Prize, has died, his son said Thursday, Jan. 18, 2007.

Columnist Art Buchwald is seen at a hospice in Washington, D.C., on May 24, 2006. Buchwald moved to a hospice nearly a year ago after doctors amputated a portion of his right leg and after refusing dialysis treatments for his failing kidneys. He was expected to die within weeks. Instead, he lived to return home and even wrote a book about his experiences. His son says he died at home on Jan. 17, 2007.

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Art Buchwald attends the 57th Annual Writers Guild Awards at The Pierre Hotel on Feb. 19, 2005, in New York. Buchwald's wry political and social satire made him a mainstay of the Washington scene for more than four decades. He died on Jan. 17, 2007, at age 81.

Author Art Buchwald attends the 57th Annual Writers Guild Awards at The Pierre Hotel on Feb. 19, 2005, in New York. In a 1995 memoir on his early years, "Leaving Home," Buchwald wrote that humor was his "salvation." In all, he wrote more than 30 books. In 1982, he won a Pulitzer Prize, journalism's top honor, for outstanding commentary, and in 1986 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Lobbyist Jack Valenti, left, and humorist Art Buchwald arrive for a memorial service for ABC News reporter and former Kennedy press secretary Pierre Salinger on Oct. 21, 2004, in Washington, D.C. In 1962, at the height of the glamour of the Kennedy administration, Buchwald set himself up in an office just two blocks from the White House and began a long career lampooning the Washington power establishment.

Humorist Art Buchwald is shown Oct. 1, 1977. Often called "The Wit of Washington," Buchwald's name became synonymous with political satire. His syndicated column at one point appeared in more than 500 newspapers worldwide. He was well known, too, for his wide smile and affinity for cigars.