Screenwriter, Playwright Larry Gelbart Dies at 81

Larry Gelbart, the legendary, Oscar-nominated writer behind Tootsie, Oh, God!, and the first four seasons of M*A*S*H*, died today at his home in Beverly Hills. Gelbart also won a Tony in 1963 for co-authoring the smash musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Burt Shevelove and Stephen Sondheim. In 1997 he released a memoir, Laughing Matters: On Writing MASH, Tootsie, Oh, God!, and a Few Other Funny Things. Before his death, he contributed as a blogger for The Huffington Post. [Los Angeles Times]