Goodbye to an L.A. real estate legend

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It is the end of an era here at the Los Angeles Times -- Ruth Ryon, creator and author of the ‘Hot Property’ column about celebrity real estate, has filed her final column. Though she is, as she reliably reported in her final column, ‘only ‘39’,’ she is taking a buyout and moving on to other projects.

Ruthie, as she is known around here, pretty much invented the celebrity real estate genre. Her columns were newsy, witty, cheerful and full of appreciation for fine houses -- like the Lautner-designed beach house in Malibu pictured here.

Even for L.A.’s fabulous people, it was a big deal to be featured in Ruth’s column. During the O.J. Simpson trial, the contents of Nicole Brown Simpson’s safe deposit box were entered into evidence. The world learned that her box of treasured possessions included an old newspaper clipping -- a Ruth Ryon Hot Property column that told of Simpson’s purchase of a Laguna Beach home.

She wrote the column for 24 years -- that’s more than a thousand columns. ‘I loved my job and could have continued for ages,’ she writes in her final column. ‘I am, after all, only ‘39’ -- but I saw the real benefit of The Times’ latest buyout: a chance to do something new.’

Thanks, Ruth, and good luck. We’ll miss you.

Photo Credit: Michael McCreary