Joe Hirsch Dead at 80

Joe Hirsch, the well-respected and longtime columnist for Daily Racing Form, died early Friday morning at St. Luke's Hospital in New York City, according to a story posted on Daily Racing Form's website. He was 80 years old. Hirsch, who had suffered from Parkinson's disease for many years, fell and broke a hip in his Manhattan apartment in 2008 and had been living in a long-term care facility until last week. Services will be held Sunday at 10 a.m., at the Plaza Jewish Community Chapel, 630 Amsterdam Avenue at 91st Street in Manhattan.