It was a grisly crime in a sleazy place - the stuff New York tabloid headline writers feast on, too good an opportunity to miss: "Headless body in topless bar".

The author of that dark zinger, former New York Post journalist Vincent Musetto, died on Tuesday at the age of 74, the paper said.

Vincent Musetto in 2007. Credit:AP

He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer three weeks ago.

He joined the Post as a copy editor in the early 1970s. He served for four decades in various capacities, including as entertainment editor.