Army Archerd, the acclaimed columnist who covered Hollywood gossip for Variety magazine from 1953 to 2005, has died at age 87. He died of mesothelioma, a lung cancer that is often the result of asbestos exposure. Archer was a must-read during the glory days of Hollywood, and he was often used by the stars as a means to keep their names in the headlines. Archer is perhaps best remembered for breaking the story that Rock Hudson had AIDS, a major revelation that changed popular perception of the disease. Variety refers to him as "Hollywood's original blogger."
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