R.I.P.

Robin Leach, Host of ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,’ Dies

The celebrity columnist was 76.

Robin Leach, a celebrity columnist and host of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, has died at the age of 76. “Despite the past 10 months, what a beautiful life he had. Our Dad, Grandpa, Brother, Uncle and friend Robin Leach passed away peacefully last night at 1:50 a.m,” Leach’s three sons said in a statement. “Everyone’s support and love over the past, almost one year, has been incredible and we are so grateful.” Leach reportedly knew he wanted to be a journalist since he was 10 years old, and was hired by his local paper at 15. Just a few years later, he became the Daily Mail’s youngest Page One editor. He then moved to New York City from London, working at the New York Daily News, Ladies Home Journal and People magazine. He also broke into television, joining CNN’s People Tonight show, helping create Entertainment Tonight, and debuting as host of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous in 1984. He described his on-air persona as a “cartoon character,” but he reportedly loved every minute of it. “I will never hang up the sign that says ‘Gone Fishing,’” Leach once told a local news station. “My work is my joy, my work is my hobby.”