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| MAYOR ED KOCH RIDING THE NYC SUBWAY IN THE EARLY 80'S |
Koch had been in and out of the hospital in recent months, and was admitted Monday at New York Presbyterian Medical Center.
“Earlier today, New York City lost an irrepressible icon, our most charismatic cheerleader and champion, Edward I. Koch," Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement released this morning. "He was a great mayor, a great man and a great friend. In elected office and as a private citizen, he was our most tireless, fearless and guileless civic crusader. Through his tough, determined leadership and responsible fiscal stewardship, Ed helped lift the city out of its darkest days and set it on course for an incredible comeback. We will miss him dearly, but his good works – and his wit and wisdom – will forever be a part of the city he loved so much. His spirit will live on not only here at City Hall, and not only on the bridge the bears his name, but all across the five boroughs.
He was moved to intensive care yesterday as his condition worsened.
Koch – who served as mayor from 1978 to 1989 – died at about 2 a.m. today, sources said.
George Arzt, Koch's spokesman, said the former mayor lost consciousness soon after entering the ICU.
Arzt said he'd always recall Koch's sense of humor.
"Most people didn't know how funny he was," said Arzt.
Koch, who had become a movie reviewer after leaving City Hall, responded, "Just don't tell me what the plot is."
Arzt also told the story of how awed he was upon joining Koch as his press secretary.
"I got into the car and said I couldn't believe how a kid who grew up in Williamsburg was now sitting next to the mayor," Arzt said.
"Oh shut, up," he recalled Koch telling him. "Everybody comes from somewhere."
Gov. Cuomo said in a statement today, "With the passing of Ed Koch, New York has lost one of our most admired public leaders. Ed Koch embodied the highest ideals of public service and his life was dedicated toward making New York - the city and our state - a better place for all. From his days on the front lines of World War II, his time in Congress, to his leadership as Mayor guiding New York City through difficult years, Ed Koch never strayed from his unwavering commitment to serving others.
"No New Yorker has - or likely ever will - voice their love for New York City in such a passionate and outspoken manner than Ed Koch. New York City would not be the place it is today without Ed Koch's leadership over three terms at City Hall. Mr. Mayor was never one to shy away from taking a stand that he believed was right, no matter what the polls said or what was politically correct.
"Many times in my life I have turned to Ed Koch for his advice and guidance. Just yesterday I spoke with the Mayor to wish him courage and strength, and let him know he was on all of our thoughts and prayers. I will miss his friendship, and we will all miss his perpetual optimism and tireless commitment to continually striving to improve our city, state, nation and world. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I send my condolences to his family and friends."
The three-term mayor and former congressman was first elected to City Hall in 1977. Since leaving elected office, he has worked as a lawyer and remained an active presence on the city’s political scene. He also appeared as the judge on the TV show “The People’s Court” for two years.
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| FORMER NYC MAYOR ED KOCH IN 2011 |
The larger-than-life Koch, who breezed through the streets of New York flashing his signature thumbs-up sign, won a national reputation with his feisty style. "How'm I doing?" was his trademark question to constituents, although the answer mattered little to Koch. The mayor always thought he was doing wonderfully.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said of Koch, "Mayor Koch lived with his family in Brooklyn as a young man, and I have no doubt it’s where he got the Brooklyn attitude, swagger and “chutzpah” that made him such a character and helped him navigate New York City through some of its most challenging times."
Markowitz said the boroughs flag would be lowered "in remembrance of this one-of-a-kind New York icon."
A new documentary about Koch’s career premiered at the Museum of Modern Art on Tuesday. He had been expected to attend before falling ill, his spokesman said.
Bald and bombastic, paunchy and pretentious, the city's 105th mayor was quick with a friendly quip and equally fast with a cutting remark for his political enemies.
"You punch me, I punch back," Koch once memorably observed. "I do not believe it's good for one's self-respect to be a punching bag."
The mayor dismissed his critics as "wackos," waged verbal war with developer Donald Trump ("piggy") and mayoral successor Rudolph Giuliani ("nasty man"), lambasted the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and once reduced the head of the City Council to tears.
"I'm not the type to get ulcers," he wrote in "Mayor," his autobiography. "I give them."
Under his watch from 1978-89, the city climbed out of near-financial ruin thanks to Koch's tough fiscal policies and razor-sharp budget cuts, and subway service improved enormously. But homelessness and AIDS soared through the 1980s, and critics charged that City Hall's responses were too little, too late.
Koch said in a 2009 interview with The New York Times that he had few regrets about his time in office but still felt guilt over a decision he made as mayor to close Sydenham Hospital in Harlem. The move saved $9 million, but Koch said in 2009 that it was wrong "because black doctors couldn't get into other hospitals" at the time.
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Ed Koch gives the thumbs up sign to thousands of commuters surrounding him on the walkway of the Brooklyn Bridge during New York City's transit strike in 1980.
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"That was uncaring of me," he said. "They helped elect me, and then in my zeal to do the right thing, I did something now that I regret."
Among his favorite moments as mayor was the day in 1980 when, seized by inspiration, he walked down to the Brooklyn Bridge during a rare transit strike and began yelling encouragement to commuters walking to work.
"I began to yell, 'Walk over the bridge! Walk over the bridge! We're not going to let these bastards bring us to our knees!' And people began to applaud," he recalled at a 2012 forum. His success in rallying New Yorkers in the face of the strike was, he said, his biggest personal achievement as mayor.
Current mayoral candidate and former MTA head Joe Lhota called Koch's personality "perfectly emblematic of New York City: loud, funny, out-going and in-your-face.
"For me, I will always remember Mayor Koch holding press conferences without his jacket, in a wrinkled shirt with his sleeves rolled-up, jousting with reporters. He loved every minute of it. He always represented the hard-working people of the City. Personally, I will always be thankful for Koch’s leadership in bringing the City out of the Financial Control Period. He was flawless in getting the City back on its feet."
Rev. Al Sharpton, head of the National Action Network, said in a statement Friday that although they disagreed on many things, Koch "was never a phony or a hypocrite. He would not patronize or deceive you. He said what he meant. He meant what he said. He fought for what he believed. May he rest in peace."
His mark on the city has been set in steel: The Queensboro Bridge — connecting Manhattan to Queens and celebrated in the Simon and Garfunkel tune "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" — was renamed in Koch's honor in 2011.
Koch was a champion of gay rights, taking on the Roman Catholic Church and scores of political leaders.
A lifelong bachelor, Koch offered a typically blunt response to questions about his own sexuality: "My answer to questions on this subject is simply, 'F--k off.' There have to be some private matters left."
Rep. Peter King called Koch "a true friend and trusted advisor."
"Ed Koch personified the spirit of New York. New York's Mayor For Life is now New York's Mayor for eternity," King said in a statement.
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