Kass: RIP, Dan 'The Man' Dorfman

Dan and I spent a lot of time together.

He was an awful dresser. We often played tennis whenever he came down to Florida at the Boca Raton Hotel. I and the other players couldn't forget the tennis outfits he wore! When he played, he typically donned high black socks, a yellow floral shirt and orange shorts.

We had dinner frequently and spent several New Year's Eves together. Dinner was always at the best restaurants (Nanni's, Gino's, Szechuan Palace, Mr. Chow's and Parma were among his favorites) and always with wonderful wine to accompany our meals.

I often took Dan to watch my harness horses race at the Yonkers, Roosevelt and Meadowlands racetracks. Sometimes, he even went without me when I thought I had a good chance to win -- and he represented me in the winner's circle. He loved that.

I remember co-hosting a great surprise party for Dan in the mid-1990s, along with Michael Steinhardt, when Dan came back after suffering a stroke. The dinner was at Mr. Chow's in New York City, and as part of the ruse, I told Dan that my son, Noah, needed some career counseling.

Dan had had an important interview, but dropped it because I asked him for an important favor. I still can't forget the look on his face after he met with me and Noah and the curtains opened to reveal about 150 of his closest friends cheering him on his return to writing.

Besides Michael Steinhardt, the investment legends there included Dave Rocker, Mark Howard, Seth Tobias, John Oppenheimer and Tony Cillufo. There were also numerous commentators from CNBC and CNN.

Dan was an original -- a true legend and media icon.

I and many others will miss him.

To me, Dan will always be "The Man."

Rest in peace, my friend.