Theater Critic Howard Kissel Dies At 69

Howard Kissel, the beloved theater critic who blogs as "the Cultural Tourist," passed away last night from complications from a liver transplant, the Daily News reports. Kissel was the chief theater critic of the New York Daily News for two decades, and was the former chairman of the New York Film Critics Circle and the New York Drama Critics Circle, as well as the author of books such as "The Abominable Showman," a biography of David Merrick, "The Art of Acting," and more recently, "New York Theater Walks."

Kissel also had a role in the 1980 film "Stardust Memories," playing Woody Allen's manager. After an encounter locking lips with Patti Lupone, Kissel wrote, "I feel no compunctions about declaring that kissing critics should be encouraged."

He will be missed. His sister, Anne Elliot, told the Daily News, "He loved everything about New York."

Kissel was a prolific blogger for The Huffington Post; his last essay, "How I Spent My Summer Vacation," was posted a mere four days ago. Read more of Kissel's contributions to HuffPost here.

What were your favorite memories of Kissel, readers? Let us know in the comments section below.

See Kissel speak on a panel about Broadway shows here:

CORRECTION:An earlier version of this story reported that Kissel passed away at 70, not 69 years of age.