Nikki Finke, sharp-tongued Hollywood columnist, dies at 68

By JAKE COYLE
AP Film Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Nikki Finke, the veteran reporter who became one of Hollywood’s top journalists as founder of the entertainment trade website Deadline.com, has died. She was 68. Deadline reports that Finke died Sunday in Boca Raton, Florida, after a prolonged illness. Finke’s sharp-tongued tenacity made her the most-feared columnist in show business. A famously reclusive blogger, Finke began writing LA Weekly’s “Deadline Hollywood” column in 2002 and made it essential reading for gossip and trade news. Four years later, she launched Deadline Hollywood Daily as a website. Blogging at Deadline.com, Finke made a pugnacious media empire of scoops and gossip, renowned for her “live-snarking” award shows and story updates that blared “TOLDJA!” when one of her earlier exclusives proved accurate.