This morning the NY Times had a story about the death of playwright Wendy Wasserstein, yesterday at Memorial Sloan Kettering due to “complications of lymphoma”. She was 55.
Wasserstein, whose brother is Bruce Wasserstein, a very well-known and successful Investment Banker, won a Tony and a Pullitzer Prize in 1989 for her play “the Heidi Chronicles”. She was a very prolific playwright. Having never seen anything by her, I can’t offer any judgment on her talent. Here is the NY Times article about her,Wendy Wasserstein Dies at 55; Her Plays Spoke to a Generation – New York Times as well as an op ed tribute by Gail Collins, the Editorial page editor at the NYT. An American Woman – New York Times These will only be available online for free for a week.
Her death is a sobering reminder that despite advances in treatment for cancer and regardless of the fact that lymphoma is one of the most treatable cancers, there are plenty of unsuccessful outcomes. Wasserstein was treated by the same Sloan Kettering Lymphoma Service that is treating me, and they are wonderful and excellent, but there are no guarantees of success.
Here’s a tribute http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/30/AR2006013001641.html and the obituary http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/30/AR2006013000390.html for Wasserstein at the Washington Post. They should be available indefinitely online at no cost.
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