(DEADLINE) — P. J. O’Rourke, the political satirist, NPR panelist and bestselling author whose early work with National Lampoon included contributions to the influential Lemmings show, died today of lung cancer. He was 74.
His death was confirmed by his publisher Grove Atlantic, United Talent Agency and by Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s Wait Wait . . . Don’t Tell Me program. O’Rourke served as a regular panelist on the NPR program.
O’Rourke, who began his journalism career as a left-leaning political commentator before moving toward conservative libertarianism during the 1980s, wrote for such publications as Playboy, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone, where he served as foreign-affairs desk chief. In 1996, he was the conservative commentator in the point-counterpoint segment of 60 Minutes.