Missing Andy Rooney

You know what really bugs me?  Writing heroes who die before I'm ready.

That would be a perfect opening for one of Andy Rooney's patented "60 Minutes" pieces.

His topics on TV made him famous, but I admire him because the CBS gig was actually like a side job for him.

Andy Rooney, at his core, was a writer.

In addition to his weekly TV appearances, he also wrote for numerous TV shows, including Arthur Godfrey's "Talent Scouts," an early precursor to American Idol in which the studio audience chose the winners with applause instead of texts.

He was also a newspaper columnist, and wrote a few books.  In his younger years, he served as a war correspondent for Stars and Stripes in World War II.

In fact, he often described himself as "a writer who happens to be on TV," instead of the other way around.

I've often thought that, if I could design my perfect job, it would be his.  In fact, I've caught myself on occasion writing articles that had a distinct Rooney feel while railing about one thing or another.  He was able to walk a fine line, offering views on topical issues without actually becoming a critic or political commentator.  His stuff wasn't particularly hard hitting, but it also wasn't fluff.  It was always, however, entertaining.

The irascible observationist didn't shy away from his unofficial title as "curmudgeon."  But despite his diatribes, I never felt he was truly mean.  In fact, he once commented that he hadn't said anything on "60 Minutes" that people didn't already know or hadn't thought.

According to a Washington Post piece, Rooney once said "A writer's job is to tell the truth."

I've always subscribed to that philosophy, and was always pleased that his fame didn't corrupt that approach.

He was a principled man.  When CBS refused to run a piece he had written about the Vietnam War in 1970, he quit the network.  He later returned in 1973. 

He spoke his mind and didn't apologize for being politically incorrect.  However, when he was wrong, he was man enough to admit it, as he did when a remark made about homosexuals resulted in his month-long suspension at CBS.  (Incidentally it was supposed to be a two-month suspension, but after viewership dropped 20%, he was reinstated early.)  In his televised apology in which he talked about trying to do good things for most of his life, he said "Now, I was to be known for having done, not good, but bad. I'd be known for the rest of my life as a racist bigot and as someone who had made life a little more difficult for homosexuals. I felt terrible about that and I've learned a lot."

Rooney also stated frequently that "writers don't retire." He lived that statement, continuing to do his "60 Minutes" segments right up until Oct. 2.  Like Alabama football coaching legend Paul "Bear" Bryant who died barely a month after coaching his last game, Rooney died almost exactly one month after his last "60 Minutes" segment aired.  He was 92.

While the writer and TV personality said he didn't believe in God, I'm sure he has found plenty of great writers to keep him company on the other side of the veil, including brilliant columnists like Lewis Grizzard and author Michael Crichton. 

On this side, he'll be missed.  As much as I've dreamed of being like him in some of my writings, I know that there will never be another Andy Rooney.