ART Poetry Loses Famous Figure; Man From Nantucket Is Dead
The literary world is mourning the loss of one of its giants today after news surfaced that Richard Long, subject of the oft-quoted limerick, "There Once Was a Man from Nantucket," has died.
According to the coroner’s report, Long died in bed of an apparent heart attack sometime Saturday evening. It is believed that Long, a confirmed bachelor, was alone at the time.
"I kept trying to tell Dick that he was getting older and his heart just couldn't take that kind of stress anymore," Long's long-time friend and physician Bernie Weiss told reporters. "But he always said, 'Some people are born to sing and some people are born to dance. Like them, I just use the gift that God gave me.'"
Peter Long, brother of the deceased, is quoted as saying, "It gives me great comfort to know Dick died with a smile on his face, among other things."