US humourist Art Buchwald passes away

Washington

Humour columnist Art Buchwald, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1982, died after a long bout with kidney failure at the age of 81, his family announced Thursday, according to the Washington Post.

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Buchwald published more than 30 books during his long career and at one point his syndicated column appeared in more than 550 newspapers.

He died in his home in Washington after ignoring doctors' advice to undergo kidney dialysis and leaving the hospice he had been in for several months last summer, declaring it "a place where you go when you want to go".

Buchwald's last book, Too Soon To Say Goodbye, was published in November.

The columnist reportedly maintained his humour until the end, said Benjamin C Bradlee, the Washington Post's vice president at large and close friend of Buchwald.

"I just don't want to die the same day Castro dies," Buchwald told his friends, according to Bradlee. The Cuban dictator is also reportedly in a very serious condition.