Norm Clarke, the famed Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist best known for his iconic black eye patch and celebrity scoops, died Thursday after a long battle against cancer. He was 82.
Clarke, who had fought Stage 4 prostate cancer for 16 years, suffered a hip injury earlier this month and entered the Nathan Adelson Hospice on March 12.
Throughout his illness, Clarke maintained a spirit rooted in his early career as an Associated Press reporter.
“Being remembered as a reporter was always my hope. I would not want to be known as a gossip columnist,” Clarke told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“With all the time I put in with The Associated Press, wearing the mantle of AP reporter meant everything to me. A lot of pride goes into working for the AP.”
Clarke began his storied Las Vegas career in 1999, bringing with him vast experience from Denver’s Rocky Mountain News and prior roles in Montana, Cincinnati, San Diego and Los Angeles.
His memorable “Vegas Confidential” column quickly became a must-read, breaking stories such as Britney Spears’ brief 2004 marriage and Michael Jackson’s discreet relocation to Sin City in 2006.
“Norm’s Review-Journal column was so popular he became a celebrity in his own right,” executive editor Glenn Cook said.
“He was a gentleman. Readers loved him. I consistently heard from subscribers who said Norm was the first thing they read every day.”
Veteran Las Vegas publicist Dave Kirvin credited Clarke with changing entertainment reporting in the city, saying, “He wasn’t always popular, he wasn’t always right, but he was fair and he was never dull.”
A Montana native born in the small town of Terry, Clarke found his passion for journalism at a young age, famously selling newspapers announcing President Eisenhower’s heart attack to eager local patrons.
He began his journalism journey with local publications, moving swiftly up the ranks to prominent roles with the AP.
Clarke faced personal hardships alongside his professional achievements.
Losing his right eye in childhood, he embraced the distinctive black eye patch after years of struggling with prosthetics.
His tenacity was evident both in his career and his cancer fight, as Clarke himself noted: “I’ve beaten the odds, to be honest. I’ve been incredibly lucky. I’ve had the luckiest run in Las Vegas history.”
His wife, Cara Clarke, praised his relentless pursuit of news, revealing his meticulous daily struggle to deliver engaging stories.
“Watching him give birth to a column was so painful,” she recalled affectionately.
