Even to those who had the occasional dustup with him, it was hard not to like Eddy Cogan.
In a world where adjectives like "legendary" and "larger than life" get thrown around all too easily, Cogan was both.
He died suddenly last Thursday at his home in Toronto, and the world is poorer for it. Cogan's connection to Niagara Falls is well known.
He had been instrumental in bringing casino gaming to the Canadian side of the river, and was approached by local businessman Frank Taibi about doing something on this side.
"It was the biggest mistake I ever made in my life," he used to joke.
He founded Niagara Falls Redevelopment, and proceeded to outline his vision for the future of the city's South End. Then-mayor James Galie gave the company options on 147 acres of property in the district, and Cogan brought New York real estate mogul Howard Milstein to the table to fund operations here.
Later, the two would have a public falling-out. Cogan's fallings-out were always public. He liked it that way.
"If Eddy never got on your nerves, you didn't really know him," one of his many friends said last week.
Born to Jewish immigrant parents 69 years ago, Cogan picked up extra money as a young man by prizefighting.
His wanderlust eventually took him to Miami, where he ran the Fountainbleau Hotel and rubbed elbows with the likes of Dean Martin, Jackie Gleason, Frank Sinatra and "Crazy" Joey Gallo.
He always had an eye for the ladies, was married just once, but had numerous liaisons, and fathered 10 children.
Probably his most famous romance was with actress Connie Stevens, with whom he had a daughter and remained friendly.
Flamboyant to a fault and enamored of show business, Cogan later spent a lot of time with top rock acts like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, often accompanying them on tours and hosting them at his home.
He clearly relished those days, and if you spent any time at all with him, he'd tell you the stories, a Rusty Nail in one hand and a handrolled Cuban cigar between the fingers of the other.
A Runyonesque character, you might say.
Cogan made his fortune as a real estate developer, brokering multimillion dollar deals from the Toronto waterfront to Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and across the Atlantic in the former Soviet Union.
He spent money as fast as he made it and sometimes faster, earning him the nickname "Fast Eddy" among competitors and partners alike.
He was profiled in the noted author Peter Newman's book "The Titans," a study of Canada's ultra-rich, and in the last year of his life was working closely with National Post writer Diane Francis on a full biography.
Cogan's partners and colleagues at NFR were clearly shocked and saddened at the news of his death.
"He was our partner and our friend," said NFR President and CEO Tony Bergamo. "God bless him and his family."
Roger Trevino, the company's executive vice president, said Cogan's vision for Niagara Falls will survive him.
"Eddy was the father of the company, and it's just too bad he couldn't have been around long enough to see the things he talked about come to pass," he said.
Ontario attorney Brian Meilleur, who served as Cogan's longtime legal adviser, said his boss was simply not the kind of guy you run across every day. Cogan was a risk-taker, he said, and lived life never having to worry about missed opportunities or the road not taken.
"I think that, if you asked Eddy right now whether he had any regrets, he'd tell you, maybe he would have done this or that thing a little differently, but on the whole he'd say no," Meilleur said.
"He did pretty much what he wanted to do every day of his life, and there are not too many of us who can say that."
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | October 21 2003 |