P.J. O’Rourke, legendary political satirist, dead at 74
nypost.coma statement released on Tuesday afternoon. O’Rourke — a libertarian famed for his razor-sharp wit — notably skewered both Democrats and Republicans in print and on television. “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys,” O’Rourke famously wrote in 1991.
He later described described the presidency of Barack Obama as “the Carter administration in better sweaters.”O’Rourke first gained national attention writing for humor magazine the National Lampoon in the 1970s, before going on to pen pieces for Playboy, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone.
He also published more than a dozen best-selling books, including 1987’s “Republican Party Reptile.”O’Rourke later became a fixture on late night comedy shows, and served as a reporter for “Real Time with Bill Maher.” In recent years, he regularly appeared as a panelist on NPR’s popular quiz show “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me.”The program’s host, Peter Sagal, confirmed his friend’s death in a touching Twitter thread on Tuesday. “I’m afraid it’s true.
Our panelist and my dear friend P.J. O’Rourke has passed away,” Sagal tweeted. “It is very rare in life to be a fan of someone and then become their friend, but it happened to me with PJ, and I discovered something remarkable,” he continued. “He told the best stories.
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