Claudia Lynn Cohen (December 16, 1950 – June 15, 2007) was an American gossip columnist, socialite, and television reporter. She is credited with putting the New York Post's Page Six gossip column on the map. The building housing the University of Pennsylvania's College of Arts and Sciences was renamed in her honor in 2008.
Early life and education Claudia Cohen was born to a Jewish family, the daughter of Harriet (née Brandwein) and businessman Robert B. Cohen, the founder of Hudson News and the president of the Hudson County News Company, a magazine wholesaler. She grew up in Englewood, New Jersey, and attended the Dwight School for Girls (now the Dwight-Englewood School) and the University of Pennsylvania where she studied communications.Marquis Who's Who 2006 "Claudia Cohen" retrieved from Galenet 16 June 2007Staff. "Claudia Cohen, Reporter, Weds Ronald Perelman", The New York Times, January 12, 1985. Accessed June 14, 2018. "She graduated from the Dwight School and the University of Pennsylvania."
Journalism career In 1977, she joined the New York Post as a reporter for its fledgling gossip column Page Six. She succeeded Neal Travis as editor of Page Six in 1978. Noted for going for the jugular, and creating a column with savvy and a sharp edge, Cohen is credited with putting Page Six on the map. Cohen left the Post in 1980 to start her own short-lived gossip column, I, Claudia (a play on the book title I, Claudius) at a rival newspaper, the New York Daily News. While that column was not a success, it did maintain Cohen's profile. Cohen was a regular on Live with Regis and Kelly and an active member of the Manhattan and Hamptons social scene.Olshan, Jeremy (16 June 2007). Gossip Will Be Heavenly: Ex-Six-Pager Cohen Dies, New York Post
Death Cohen died on June 15, 2007, from ovarian cancer.Fox, Margalit. Claudia Cohen, 56, Socialite and a Reporter of Gossip, Is Dead. The New York Times. June 16, 2007.
Personal life In 1984, Cohen began a relationship with businessman Ronald Perelman. The two married in 1985, and had one daughter, Samantha. After nine years, the couple divorced, and Cohen reportedly received a settlement of $80,000,000.Fortune "THE TROPHY WIFE IS BACK--WITH BRAINS" 03/04/95 (retrieved through Australia New Zealand Reference Centre)
Cohen later dated former U.S. senator from New York state, Al D'Amato.Fortune, Ibid
At the request of Ronald Perelman, the University of Pennsylvania renamed the historic Logan Hall, sitting next to College Hall and originally named after James Logan, secretary to William Penn, "Claudia Cohen Hall," much to the surprise and dismay of some Penn faculty, alumni, and students. The rear of the newly renamed building overlooks Perelman Quadrangle.Wu, Cecily. Logan Hall to become Claudia Cohen Hall The Daily Pennsylvanian. March 19, 2008Wu, Cecily. What's in a name? A lot, say profs, alums. The Daily Pennsylvanian. March 27, 2008.
References
External links New York Observer article about Claudia Cohen's funeral