Shutterstock
Robin Leach, the veteran journalist best known for his work on TV’s Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, died on the night of Thursday, August 23.
Leach had been hospitalized since November 21 after suffering a stroke while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous was an American television series that aired in syndication from 1984 to 1995. The show, which was hosted by Leach for a majority of it’s run, featured the extravagant lifestyles of entertainers, athletes, and business moguls.
Leach was born in London on August 29, 1941, to Violet Victoria Phillips and Douglas Thomas Leach.
via The Hollywood Reporter:
The first paper to publish his stories was The Harrow Observer, the local paper when he was a student at Harrow County School for Boys. The paper hired him when he graduated at age 15. He went on to become the youngest editor at the Daily Mail, at 18, later writing for the New York Daily News, Ladies Home Journal and People magazine and editing for The Star after he moved to the states in November of 1963.
After helping to launch the syndicated Entertainment Tonight celebrity news show, his break came in 1984 when he co-created Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous with the television producer Al Masini. The syndicated show, which highlighted celebrity homes and gave birth to his signature catchphrase “Champagne wishes and caviar dreams,” ran from 1984 to 1995, and helped to usher in the era of celebrity-focused reality series and culture.
Leach’s son Steven announced his father’s passing in the following statement:
“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. Everyone’s support and love over the past, almost one year, has been incredible and we are so grateful. Memorial arrangements to follow.”
Robin is survived by his three sons: Steven, Gregg, and Rick Leach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijFL4SCntbs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjM2TOplSco
