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David Rakoff

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David Rakoff (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano)

NEW YORK (AP) - David Rakoff (RAY'-kawf), an award-winning humorist, has died.

Doubleday and Anchor Books announced Friday that Rakoff died Thursday after a long illness. He was 47.

Rakoff has written for The New York Times, Newsweek and other publications and was a contributor to radio's "This American Life."

In October, his essay collection "Half Empty" won the Thurber Prize for American Humor. His other bestselling books are "Don't Get Too Comfortable" and "Fraud."

Rakoff's longtime editor, Bill Thomas, says the author's life was "infuriatingly short" but "rich beyond measure." Thomas says the writer was charming, witty and had a very quick mind. But most of all, he says, Rakoff "was a generous soul."

Doubleday plans to publish Rakoff's final work next year. The title will be: "Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die; Cherish, Perish."

Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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