Elizabeth Taylor's New York Times Obituary Writer Actually Died in 2005

The news of Elizabeth Taylor’s passing came as a surprise to many today, but the New York Times has actually had the screen legend’s obituary ready for over half a decade — so long a time that the principle obituary writer, Mel Gussow, actually died in 2005.

The Village Voice reports that Gussow, a Times theater critic who wrote over 4,000 pieces for the paper, died after a battle with cancer at the age of 71.

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