“Just like that. Gone forever. They will not grow old together. They will never live on a beach by the sea, their hair turned white, dancing in a living room to Billie Holiday or Nat Cole. They will not enter a New York club at midnight and show the poor hip-hop fools how to dance. They will not chuckle together over the endless folly of the world, its vanities and stupid ambitions. They will not hug each other in any chilly New York dawn. Oh, Mary Lou. My baby. My love.”

American journalist, novelist, essayist and editor

Pete Hamill was an American journalist, novelist, essayist, and editor. He worked in New York City journalism and became known for writing about the city’s politics, sports, and crime. His life and career are closely tied to the press in New York. He was a columnist and editor for the New York Post and the New York Daily News. His writing was noted for trying to catch the particular character of New York, especially its public life and its darker edges.