Memoir From Artist LeRoy Neiman Coming In 2012

NEW YORK (AP) - As he nears his 90th birthday, artist and illustrator LeRoy Neiman is ready to put his story into words.

Neiman is known for his Salvador Dali mustache and his colorful paintings of Muhammad Ali, Mickey Mantle and many other athletes.

He has spent the past decade working on a memoir tentatively titled "Diary of a Passionate Observer." His agent, Steve Ross of the Abrams Artists Agency, said Tuesday that Lyons Press will release the book next year.

Neiman turns 90 in June. His friends and acquaintances have included not only sports stars, but Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Andy Warhol.