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None of us covering the entertainment biz today will ever have a career like Army Archerd.

Army was (and is, I should say) pals with the biggest stars and the most powerful execs. He knew them all. And they knew him. What's more, they respected him.

Army's last column ran on Thursday. To say it was the end of an era is an understatement -- Army was truly one of Hollywood's last links to its Golden Age. I still marvel at the photos I've seen in various Army tributes -- there he is with Marilyn Monroe. With Elvis. A young Spielberg.

Army has been writing "Just for Variety" since 1953. A little perspective: My parents weren't even old enough for preschool when he began.

When I joined Variety in 1999, I was amazed to see Army there at his desk, every day, manning the phones and writing his column. We should all be lucky enough to do something we love for 52 years.

Army's not retiring -- I'm sure we'll still see him in his office, which is about 15 feet away from my desk, as he writes his memoirs. But Variety will now have to make do without Army's "Good Morning" -- a greeting that led his "Just For Variety" column almost every day for 52 years.

Read all about Army here.