Wow! I had no idea she was even sick!

There are certain names in the gossip biz who are revered, and Claudia Cohen was certainly one of them. A columnist with the NY Daily News and frequent contributor on Live with Regis and Kelly, the 57-year-old died yesterday afternoon at the age of 57.

NYDN said that she had apparently been battling stomach cancer for six years, while other reports say it was ovarian cancer. Friends interviewed by the NYDN said she didn’t let on much about her illness; just kept working.

Cohen was the former editor of Page Six, and was in the gossip columns herself during her courtship, marriage, and subsequent divorce from billionaire businessman Ron Perelman.

She is survived by her brother James and her daughter Samantha.