Richard 'Dickie' Long, Carol Channing's Cousin and Supporter of the Arts, Passes Away at 99

California native, longtime Palm Springs resident and supporter of the arts, Richard "Dickie" Long passed away last night at home at 10:55pm at the age of 99.

"He was a man who knew how to live and enjoyed every aspect of life," said his wife, Sylvia Long. He had already been planning his 100th birthday for Dec 27th as a celebration of life. During a recent trip to the hospital, he told Carol that if anything happened, they were not to mourn, rather celebrate a life he felt was blessed from the start in 1913. For this reason, the family plans to continue with the celebration later in the year.

Legendary actress Carol Channing wrote about her Long, who was her cousin and close friend, in her memoir "Just Lucky, I Guess" - an excerpt appears below:

My cousin Richard Long came to live with us because my aunt Elsa, his mother, my mother's only sister, read a book on free love, decided she liked it, but apparently didnt think it was the right atmosphere for children. Dickie loved my parents, and when the girl down the road asked my mother if she was expecting a child, my mother said, "Yes." Dickie couldnt wait until I got there. Therefore, my first word was "Dickie," and I have adored him ever since. He was seven years old when I was born. He's the most attractive, gorgeous-looking human being since my father, maybe. My mother lived to be a hundred, but was gorgeous before that. Dickie tells me my mother had a talk with him. She said, "George and I are trying to build a life together, so Carol will have to be your ward. You must help and look after her." Now, Dickie is a born dare-devil. He never could stop taking chances. He once told me that he hitched my babe carriage onto the back of his tricycle and we went careening around the streets on "terror rides." To this day his hobby is getting into a glider, to the consternation of the inhabitants of Southern California. He steers just clear of jagged California mountains. He's always lived in the fast lane, but it is part of his devastating charm.