Dominick Dunne, the celebrated Vanity Fair essayist and fighter for crime victims' rights, just died at age 83.

I was reading his obituary that recalled his life as a successful and then fallen Hollywood producer. Before turning to journalism after the tragic murder of his daughter, his fortunes were so bad that he "sold his dog."

I have seen many homeless folks that still have their trusty canine pals sitting next to them, so you can only imagine how low Mr. Dunne sank, submerged in no small part from addictions to drugs and alcohol.

But he climbed out of the morass to cover the first major O.J. Simpson trial, as well as the former football star's recent conviction for armed robbery in Las Vegas. The latter stint was Mr. Dunne's final professional assignment before his demise.

My point is that Mr. Dunne, and many other folks have hit bottom and found the gumption and inspiration to climb back not only to respectability but to go on to great accomplishments.

If you doubt this fact, I suggest you Google two phrases: "Great Career Comebacks" and "Famous Bankrupts."

If you're like me, you'll be astonished by the distinguished names that appear on these respective lists.

Famous comebackers include: Frank Sinatra, Donald Trump, (who wrote a book, The Art of The Comeback), Richard Nixon, Joe Torre, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Robert Downey, Jr., and John Travolta, just to name a few.

I was surprised to see journeyman TV interviewer Larry King's name on the famous bankrupts list, but at the same time, what makes him a great conversationalist is in no small part his empathy. There is nothing quite like losing your fortune and then getting an opportunity to earn another one that can provide you with a sense of perspective, and humility.

Some people, such as Donald Trump have berths on both lists. Others, such as circus showman P.T. Barnum have made several roundtrips on the ladder of success and failure.

The key is that failure for these luminaries was temporary, and happily for us, it can be short-lived as well, if success is truly what we want.