Andy Rooney was uncharacteristically sentimental in his final regularly scheduled 60 Minutes appearance last night. Perched behind his trademark desk, where he’s offered viewers his random, cranky thoughts in the closing minutes of each episode since 1979, the 92-year-old reflected on how lucky he’s been to be paid to, essentially, be a curmudgeonly old person. “I’ve done a lot of complaining here,” Rooney acknowledged, “but of all the things I’ve complained about, I can’t complain about my life.” Rooney was even gracious to his supporters. “I don’t say this often,” he said to people who have written him letters or approached him on the street, “but thank you.” For a moment, it was like watching the final seconds of the Sopranos finale: It can’t end like this! But, concluding his final rant, Rooney went back to being Rooney. “If you do see me in the restaurant,” he said, with a scowl, “please, just let me eat my dinner.”
Andy Rooney: “My Lucky Life” [60 Minutes/CBS News]
