P.J. O’Rourke, irreverent author and commentator, dead at 74

NEW YORK (AP) — P.J. O’Rourke, the prolific author and satirist who re-fashioned the irreverent journalism of the 1960s counterculture into a distinctive brand of conservative and libertarian commentary, has died. He was 74. O’Rourke evolved from long-haired student activist to wavy-haired scourge of his old liberal ideals, with some of his takedowns appearing in a founding counterculture publication, Rolling Stone. His career otherwise extended from the early years of National Lampoon to a brief stint on “60 Minutes” in which he represented the conservative take on “Point/Counterpoint” to frequent appearances on NPR’s game show “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!”