Tributes to 'the funniest writer of the last 40 years'

American satirist PJ O’Rourke has died at the age of 74.

The news was broken by his publisher Grove Atlantic, which gave the cause of death as complications from lung cancer.

‘PJ was one of the major voices of his generation,’ said the company’s chief executive, Morgan Entrekin. ‘He was also a close friend and partner for more than 40 years.

‘His insightful reporting, verbal acuity and gift at writing laugh-out-loud prose were unparalleled. From his classics Modern Manners and Parliament Of Whores to How The Hell Did This Happen, a result of his dismay at the 2016 election, PJ kept providing fierce, smart, always amusing reports on the American condition.

‘His passing leaves a huge hole in my life  both personal and professional.’

Peter Sagal, host of the NPR radio panel show Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! on which he was a regular, added on Twitter: I’m afraid it’s true. Our panelist and my dear friend PJ O’Rourke has passed away.’

Despite his alarm at the rise of Donald Trump, O’Rourke was a largely conservative voice, also admired by the left. He said of Hillary Clinton: ‘She's wrong about absolutely everything, but she's wrong within normal parameters.

He was a hippy in his youth and came to prominence as editor-in-chief of the now-defunct humour magazine National Lampoon in the 1970s.

He wrote more than 20 books including Give War A Chance,  about international crisis, and Holidays In Hell, where he visited global trouble spots such as  Lebanon and North Korea. His work also appeared in publications such as Rolling Stone,  Vanity Fair and The Daily Beast.

Among those paying tribute were fellow author Dave Barry, who posted: ‘I hung out with PJ O'Rourke many times at conventions and other Serious Events populated by Serious Journalists; he was excellent company at those things, because he refused to take them seriously. He was a joy to be around. I'll miss him, and I'll miss his voice.’

Ben Shapiro, editor emeritus of the Daily Beast said: ‘PJ O'Rourke was an incredible wordsmith, perhaps the funniest writer of the last forty years, and a good person, too. RIP.’

Jeremy Clarkson added: ‘I don’t normally tweet about people I barely know who’ve died. But I’m very saddened to hear that PJ O’Rourke is no more. He was the best journalist ever. And the funniest.’

And former Brexit Minister Lord Frost posted: ‘So sad to hear of the death of PJ O'Rourke. Laugh-out-loud funny but also profound. Everyone in politics should read Parliament Of Whores.  And today's earnest & humourless critics of Western achievements should take a look at his essay Ship Of Fools.’

Published: 16 Feb 2022