Rex Reed, the acerbic and unapologetic film critic who helped shape New York’s cultural conversation for decades, died Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at his Manhattan home. He was 87. His barbed reviews, unforgettable celebrity profiles and sometimes merciless takedowns made him a familiar presence in both Broadway and film circles.
His longtime friend William Kapfer confirmed that Reed “died early this morning” at home after a short illness, according to amNewYork. The statement added that he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.
A New York Life and Career
Born in Fort Worth in 1938, Reed graduated from Louisiana State University in 1960 and then moved to New York City in the early 1960s, where he built a reputation as both a critic and a profile writer, according to the Observer. His 1968 collection Do You Sleep in the Nude?, along with decades of columns and profiles for outlets including The New York Times, Esquire and the New York Observer, helped make him one of the city’s most recognizable cultural voices.
Sharp Reviews and Public Spats
Reed’s blunt tastes earned him both loyal readers and headline-making feuds. His criticism could be merciless, a trait highlighted in coverage by Geo News. He was equally known for dustups off the page. In February 2000 he was arrested after Tower Records staff said he left the store with compact discs tucked into his coat pockets, a story reported at the time by CBS News.
A Complicated Legacy
Reed resisted being written off as a simple curmudgeon. He often told friends and interviewers that “We’re drowning in mediocrity” and said his goal was to “raise the level of consciousness,” the Observer recalled. Friends and colleagues say he will be remembered as a critic who could be painfully frank and fiercely loyal to the movies he loved, leaving behind books and thousands of reviews that will keep him in film conversations for years to come.
