Smith was born in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1923 and graduated from the University of Texas before heading to New York, where she made it big in the Big Apple.
Smith, who started work as a gossip columnist for the New York Journal-American in 1959, was often friends with many of the famous and glamorous people she covered, including Madonna, Frank Sinatra, Donald and Ivanka Trump and Katherine Hepburn, sparking some controversy from journalists over the years.
Liz Smith, iconic columnist, and the woman who knew everyone's secrets has died at 94. pic.twitter.com/CQ5Goh0vxU
🐘 (@yashar)
Her legendary gossip predecessors included Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper, in Hollywood, and Water Winchell, in New York.
Smith spent more than 30 years writing daily gossip columns, writing books and magazine stories and appearing on TV news and entertainment programs.
Ann Richards, on Liz Smith: "Leave it to Fort Worth to produce the world's only truly nice gossip columnist” via @BudKennedy https://t.co/d1QbXlnKJD
— Abby Livingston (@TexasTribAbby) November 13, 2017
From 1976 until 1991, her column called "Liz Smith" ran in The Daily News and in New York Newsday from 1991 until 1995, according to the NYT. Her column continued in Newsday until 2005 and in the New York Post from 1995 until 2009, and she was syndicated in up to 70 newspapers, too.
Credit: Evan Agostini
Credit: Evan Agostini
Smith regularly earned more than $1 million a year -- more than any other newspaper columnist or executive editor, the NYT reported.
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Smith was married once and divorced and leaves behind no children.
Liz Smith, who has died aged 94, became famous after covering Donald and Ivana Trump’s divorce. In an age of brutal gossip sites, she was a model of decorousness. https://t.co/BerYlWtsvY
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) November 13, 2017
Liz Smith interview 2/24/09 when she was fired from @nypost i said on air she was 86 going on 40. she wrote: "i am in love all over again with @billritter7 he described me as 86 going on 40! It was almost worth losing a salary and a daily tenure...just to hear those words." pic.twitter.com/DWu9orC6pX
— Bill Ritter (@billritter7) November 13, 2017
We remember legendary columnist Liz Smith. Liz Smith was bisexual and received the Vito Russo Award at the 12th Annual #glaadawards in 2001. https://t.co/XTE2RfnYCX pic.twitter.com/WUTpaFjngM
— GLAAD (@glaad) November 13, 2017
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