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.

Comments

[3fingerbrown]

09:57 AM on 03/04/2012

I grew up reading Kissel in the Daily News. Always thought he was the best critic in town. It was a great pleasure to rediscover him in these pages.

[Alan Woods]

11:24 PM on 02/27/2012

as a classmate of Howard's from Columbia, deeply saddened to learn of his passing. He was not only a brilliant critic, but also a wonderful performer and playwright; he was co-author of two varsity shows at Columbia, Elsinore! (1963) and Il Troubleshootore (1964), and also acted in both. I directed the latter, and staged managed the first, a musical comedy version of Hamlet; the second piece was a very funny musical satire about a Jewish artist who became a hired gun in the old west, with more than a few echoes of Il Trovatore. Sadly enough, spent an hour and a half on the phone with Howard a couple of weeks ago, after I responded to one of his stimulating posts here. Rest in well deserved peace, Howie--

[Cicatrice]

11:58 AM on 02/27/2012

I had the pleasure of meeting Howard on the other side of the boards several years ago when he directed me in a production of "The Sisters Rosensweig" in, of all places, Alabama. He gave the cast the benefit, not only of his encyclopedic knowledge of theatre, but also of his generous heart and wry wit. It didn't hurt that he had a direct pipeline to Wendy Wasserstein, either. I loved the time we spent together--not least his take on the Gulf Coast and its culture--and I'm sorry his gentle spirit has left the planet. I still have and treasure my inscribed copy of "The Abominable Showman." Nona Pipes (New York City)

[playflute2]

04:12 PM on 02/26/2012

I enjoyed Mr. Kessel's articles here in HP. He always came up with something for us to think about. My sympathies to his family.

[Michael Lang]

02:09 PM on 02/26/2012

Who in the hell was Howard Kissel

[Ellyn64]

01:30 PM on 02/26/2012

I agree with you, HereToBe Love. I never read Mr. Kissel and I am sorry that I did not. It is so wonderful to read about a decent human being these days. I am certain that he is at peace.

[Ron McCrea]

09:11 AM on 02/26/2012

Howard and I shared a hotel room for three months in the spring of 1966 at the Lincoln-Douglas Hotel in Quincy, Illinois, when we were graduate journalism students at Northwestern. The school sent a dozen of us down to put out the a.m. edition of the Quincy Herald-Whig as layout and production editors and work as reporters during the day. Quincy is a tiny Mississippi River town not far from Hannibal, Missouri. Howard was a blessing, a huge relief from the tedium and claustrophobia -- considerate, amusing, glib, ironic -- already a New Yorker. I am sad to learn of his passing, since we had been in touch again. I had a liver transplant myself five years ago. I hope his life was extended by it.

[thejongardner]

08:55 AM on 02/26/2012

he was a friend of the family. though he hadn't been in touch with my father for many years, when asked, he did something tremendous and indelible. i was just out of college and looking for career advice, help and direction. i had an interest in journalism but was doing something else at the time. he met with me and was the most charming, interesting and kind person, though he was under no obligation to be. he advised me to stick it out with the path i was on. fifteen years later, i know he was right.

[BrendaNYC]

08:54 AM on 02/26/2012

Rest in Peace Mr. Kissel. May critics everywhere honor your memory with well written, insightful graciousness. www.HereSheIsBoys.com

[Peguy]

07:27 AM on 02/26/2012

It is rare that the comments after an article make me sad that I missed the opportunity to meet someone, but these comments have succeeded in doing that very thing. He sounds like he was as delightful in person as he was in print.

[Sherman Yellen]

06:50 AM on 02/26/2012

As a playwright I found Howard Kissel to be a fair minded and generous critic. He had that rare capacity for enjoyment that seems to elude so many of those in his chosen profession, and an incisive intelligence that made his reviews a pleasure to read because of his unique insight into art and people. I met him a few years ago and I found that there was no disconnect between his written words and his person - he was charming, warm hearted, and decent. His death is a true loss to the arts and to his many friends.

[nbb]

06:06 AM on 02/26/2012

Beloved? Theatre critic? Not mutually exclusive??

[Mark Humphries]

03:37 AM on 02/26/2012

I read Howard's David Merrick biography two years ago, then emailed him to thank him for the terrific read. He generously replied at length, and we began an email correspondence. I live in Australia, and never met Howard, but I will miss him.

[MGarin]

03:03 AM on 02/26/2012

He was a real mensch. RIP.

[BurtonDesque]

02:06 AM on 02/26/2012

"Beloved Critic" is an oxymoron. Just saying.