William Safire, the Pulitzer Prize-winning political columnist for the New York Times, has died of cancer at the age of 79.
Safire also worked as speechwriter and aide to President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal that ultimately drove him from office in 1974.
For the last 30 years of his life, he was best known for his famous New York Times magazine column "On Language".
Safire is survived by his wife and two children.
Born in New York in 1929, Safire worked as a journalist and in public relations before serving as a special assistant to President Nixon during the 1970s.
The former college dropout set up what became known as the "kitchen debate" meeting between Nixon and the former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. read more
