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Bob Thomas, a tireless, longtime Associated Press reporter who kept the masses informed on celebrity news for years, has died at the age of 92.

Thomas died of age-related illnesses at his Encino, Calif., home.

He covered Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, Groucho Marx and Marlon Brando, Walt Disney and Fred Astaire.

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He interviewed rising stars (James Dean), icons (Humphrey Bogart, Jack Nicholson) elder institutions (Bob Hope) and modern legends (Tom Cruise).

Thomas’s career began in 1944, when Hollywood was still a small, tightly controlled and centralized community, and continued well into the 21st century.

During his nearly seven decades writing for the AP, Thomas reviewed hundreds of films and TV shows and write hundreds of celebrity pieces and obituaries.

 

He was the author of dozens of books, including biographies of Disney, Brando and Crawford and an acclaimed portrait of studio mogul Harry Cohn, King Cohn.

He wrote, produced and appeared in a handful of television specials on the Academy Awards and was a guest on numerous TV programs over the years.

He holds two Guinness World Records, for most consecutive Academy Awards covered and for longest career as an entertainment reporter (1944-2010).

In 1988, he became the first reporter-author on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.