Sarah Feldberg
I don't remember the first time I saw Robin Leach in Las Vegas, but I remember that I heard him first.
That distinctive voice, which delivered the outsize luxuries of the world's wealthiest into average living rooms on the syndicated TV show "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," carried easily across Las Vegas theater lobbies and restaurant dining rooms.
"Is that ...?" I stammered, before seeing that, yes, it was.
Long after the show that made Leach a member of the rich and famous toured its final mansion, the journalist and personality was a fixture in Las Vegas. He lived in the city and covered its celebrity visitors and glittering entertainment scene, first for his own blog, then for the Las Vegas Sun and Greenspun Media Group and finally for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
He died Aug. 24 at age 76 after a period of declining health following a stroke.
Though nationally, Leach was the guy who signed off with "Champagne wish and caviar dreams," in Vegas he was something else. He was a tireless presence, a guy who seemed to know every boldface name on the Strip and who attended every big party and media event. Sometimes Leach was more famous than the "celebrities" he interviewed. At more than one red carpet I attended, the guests of honor would spot his face and rush past the rest of his colleagues to talk to him.
"Robin Leach!" they'd proclaim, shocked and delighted to see him there.
His column, written until he became ill last November, was a nonstop tour of Las Vegas entertainment that featured interviews with visiting headliners, stories on important chefs, Strip news and recaps. He'd write about the National Finals Rodeo, Miss Universe and Thomas Keller, the only tie between all three was that they were important to Las Vegas.
In his adopted home, Leach served as unofficial ambassador, a familiar face and voice extolling the city and sharing its highlights.
"Las Vegas has lost one of its biggest cheerleaders with the passing of Robin Leach," MGM Resorts wrote in a statement. "He will forever be part of the legacy of the Entertainment Capital of the World and will be missed greatly. With every show, every round of applause, every opening, he will be remembered and celebrated."
Next time you find yourself with a flute of Champagne or a tin of caviar, raise a toast to Robin Leach and all he meant to Las Vegas.