BOND WRITER PASSES AWAY

Tom Mankiewicz, a screenwriter and premier script doctor who made his reputation working on such James Bond films as "Diamonds Are Forever," "Live and Let Die" and "The Man With the Golden Gun," has died. He was 68.

In 1970, Mankiewicz was hired to rewrite the script for "Diamonds Are Forever," the seventh film in the long-running series based on Ian Fleming's fictional spy James Bond.

In the Bond saga, Mankiewicz also wrote original screenplays for "Live and Let Die" (1973) and "The Man With the Golden Gun" (1974) and polished "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977) and "Moonraker" (1979).

Known for a light and breezy writing style, Mankiewicz once said he had endured snickers for his association with the sexy Bond films. He told the Miami Herald in 1987: "I don't apologize for entertaining people."

Between Bond movies, he wrote and produced the 1976 film "Mother, Jugs & Speed," working with director Peter Yates, who called on him to rewrite "The Deep" (1977).