By RORY MASTERSON

On February 1, New York City’s “Mayor for Life,” Ed Koch, passed away at the age of 88. Koch, who was born in the Bronx and served three terms as the mayor of New York from 1978-1989, was one of the most vibrant and visible political figures of the latter half of the 20th century, constantly appearing in news media, walking the streets of the city and riding its subways in an effort to maintain his high public profile.

Koch is lauded for having led the city during periods of economic recession as well as through the breakout of AIDS in the mid-1980s, all of which is depicted in Neil Barsky’s new documentary Koch, which opened on the day of the former mayor’s passing. The film traces Koch’s political career, from the campaign he staged during one of the hottest and most notorious New York summers in history, 1977, through his terms as mayor, during which he reignited a city that was suffering and on the verge of bankruptcy. Barsky manages to capture the best glimpses of Koch’s private life.

Koch offers a rare view of a man slowly but surely coming to grips with mortality and trying to reconcile his public image with his legacy. In the years following Koch’s 1989 Democratic primary defeat at the hands of David Dinkins, who would go on to become mayor, Koch maintained a high profile, often stumping for other candidates and giving extensive interviews on the political atmosphere of the day. Even into his later years, the former mayor retained the passion that had guided him so successfully during his run as the leader of New York City.

“People would ask me to run again,” Koch says, only half-jokingly in the documentary, “And I would tell them, ‘No. The people threw me out, and now they must be punished.’”