Columnist Buchwald Dies at 81

January 18, 2007— -- Last February, Buchwald voluntarily stopped dialysis treatment, after an extended stay in a Washington-area hospice. To the surprise and delight of his doctors, family and friends, Buchwald continued to live long after all expectations, even traveling to his home on Martha's Vineyard for one last summer.

Buchwald declined further dialysis treatment after doctors amputated his right leg below the knee. The humorist, best known for his long-running Washington Post column, which earned a Pulitzer Prize in 1982, was given weeks to live.

From his so-called deathbed, Buchwald updated a living will, devoured McDonald's milkshakes, said farewell to friends and even received a medal from the French ambassador to the United States honoring the writer's 50-year career.

Free from the constraints of 15 hours a week in the clinic, Buchwald met with congressmen, spoke with NPR and, on March 10, 2006, granted ABC News what was then believed to be one of his last television interviews.

In that interview, Buchwald then told "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" producer Lisa Koenig, "It was my decision," referring to his then month-long refusal of dialysis.

"I thought it would be a lot faster than it is," he said. "I was supposed to be [in the hospice] for three weeks, four weeks, and it's about the ninth or eighth week that I'm still here."

Sixteen weeks later, Buchwald wrote in the column, announcing his trip out of bed and toward the beach, "The purpose of the hospice is to help you go gently into the night when all else fails. ... It didn't work out that way for me."

With trademark humor, Buchwald observed, "Most people that enter a hospice depart by a different door than the one they came in."

Initially, Buchwald told "This Week," his family was skeptical of his decision to stop treatment. "My son didn't like the idea at all, but he was so sweet in not pushing me.

"Finally, when they said, 'It's your decision,' the family came around. And it's a very interesting thing, because we sit here in the living room of this place and we discuss my funeral, where it's going to be, who my speakers are going to be. And planning your own funeral, to be sitting here talking about it, is wild. It's crazy."