James Brady

"Jim Brady was a step ahead of us as we pushed through the crowd to greet Steve. Brady took Dunleavy’s hand, gave his shoulder a squeeze, told Steve he’d be missed and that now was the time for him to write the autobiography. Brady, a former Murdoch man who writes the celeb profiles for Parade and Forbes, broke the story of Steve’s infirmities..."

Damn it!

This site is turning into an obit page! But tribute must be paid to James Brady, a tabloid legend who wrote for Page Six, New York, Parade, Forbes and many other publications, and edited The Star. He was a writer who, like Neal Travis, added class to the operation and gave gossip a good name. The last time we saw him was at Steve Dunleavy's farewell bash. He was 80 when he died on Monday.

From James Brady's Forbes column on Dunleavy's farewell:

"...It's probably my fault for leaving the party early, but when I went out into West 46th Street, not a single punch had yet been thrown, a cop or fireman thrown out, an editor or publisher pummeled, an ear bitten off, or Rupert-- standing there happily amid the scrum-- cornered by any number of bores, but not being chewed by anyone. Not with Steve Dunleavy, shakily but faithfully, there at his side.

"Loyalty most places is pretty rare, so it was nice being at the Bourbon Street Bar, remembering 1974 when I was broke, writing and hosting a New York magazine cable TV talk show for nothing, when Murdoch came to America to stay, hiring me to run his new tabloid, and nothing ever again would be the same. For me or for any of us."