(Jennifer L. Gonzeles)
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Ed Koch, the down-to-earth, three-term mayor whose humor and accessibility steered New York City out of the depths of fiscal crisis in the late 1970s, died yesterday of heart disease at age 88.
Koch, who had suffered a stroke while mayor and later underwent quadruple bypass surgery, had been in and out of New York-Presbyterian/Columbia Hospital for 10 days.
He lost consciousness when he was transferred to the intensive care unit Thursday and died at 2 a.m. yesterday of congestive heart failure, a spokesman said.
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The iconic New Yorker’s accomplishments were legion:
* He was the only person ever to run for a fourth term as New York City mayor — though he lost a primary to David Dinkins.
* He piloted the city through an era of fiscal crisis and managed to put New York back on sound financial footing.
* He was a staunch supporter of the NYPD at a time of rampant violent crime.
* He also helped reaffirm the Big Apple’s status as what he called “the capital of the world.”
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Private burial arrangements were set for Monday at Trinity Cemetery in upper Manhattan after public funeral services at Temple Emanu-El on East 65th Street.
Koch had already chosen the inscription on his tombstone — “My father is Jewish. My mother is Jewish. I am Jewish,” the last words of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was murdered by terrorists 11 years to the day before the ex-mayor died.
Tributes poured in for Koch, who was known for his trademark, “How’m I doin’?”
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who clashed frequently with him, said Koch “was never a phony or a hypocrite. He would not patronize or deceive you. He said what he meant. He meant what he said.”
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said he had visited Koch at the hospital Tuesday and again Thursday.
“On Tuesday he was alert. He had some distress and was having a hard time breathing but was reading the paper. He said he had no pain,” Kelly said.
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Koch’s final days coincided with yesterday’s opening of a documentary movie, titled simply “Koch,” about his life.
“He asked me if I had seen the ‘Koch’ movie,” Kelly said. “I said I hadn’t. He said he had gone to the premiere. He said he was pleased with the movie.”
Mayor Bloomberg joked, “Leave it to Ed to leave the stage just in time to maximize ticket sales for the documentary about him.”
Kent Barwick, Koch’s landmarks commissioner, saw another coincidence.
He recalled how then-US Rep. Koch showed up at a meeting in the early 1970s to save Grand Central Terminal. The building survived to celebrate its 100th birthday yesterday.
“It’s very sad that he died on this day,” Barwick said.
Koch’s political career was a mix of upset wins, landslide victories and a few memorable defeats.
Former Gov. Mario Cuomo, who lost to Koch in an ugly 1977 mayoral primary but beat him in a 1982 gubernatorial primary, called his rival “more an institution than a politician.”
His son, current Gov. Andrew Cuomo, said, “I first encountered Ed Koch in the 1977 mayoral. I was a kid, 19 years old.”
The younger Cuomo said his dad and Jicg “were like the Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier of our time.”
Koch was seeking his fourth term as mayor when he lost to Dinkins in the 1989 Democratic primary that many observers — including Koch — considered a referendum on him.
“I was defeated because of longevity,” he said. “People get tired of you. So they decided to throw me out.”
Yesterday, Dinkins called his former opponent “a feisty guy who would tell you what he thinks.”
Former Koch administration officials recalled his battles, such as with developer Donald Trump over a massive West Side project that was to house new NBC studios.
“I remember we were doing negotiations with Donald Trump over Television City,” said Abe Biderman, who served as housing and finance commissioner during the Koch years. “And he wanted a certain tax abatement and we didn’t want to give it to him and we were going over the pros and cons.
“And [Koch] walks out there and he says, ‘Piggy, piggy piggy,’ ” Biderman said.
Koch told friends his biggest regret as he left office was that “many people in the black community do not perceive that I was their friend.”
Kelly praised Koch for his strong support of the NYPD and recalled Koch’s final day as mayor.
“On his last day, he visited every police station, 76 of them. He had his picture taken with police officers, autographed them and sent them back to the police officers.”
Koch was admitted to the hospital Monday with shortness of breath and was later moved to intensive care so doctors could monitor the fluid in his lungs and legs. He had battled heart disease and other health woes since he left City Hall in 1990.
Andy Cuomo said he called Koch at the hospital Wednesday and the former mayor wanted to talk about gun-control legislation the governor had gotten passed.
“He was all excited about the gun bill, and that that had been done and New York did it,” Cuomo said. “And he was talking about Washington and the confusion and controversy in Washington about [gun control] and that New York had made progress.”
“I said, ‘Mister Mayor, how are you feeling?’ ” Cuomo said.
“Stronger every day, stronger every day,” Koch said.
“And to me that’s the essence of Ed Koch: Stronger every day. Optimism. Look forward. Don’t look back.”
Additional reporting by Dan McLeod, Erik Kriss and Rebecca Harshbarger