George Plimpton, the self-deprecating author of “Paper Lion” and a patron to Philip Roth, Jack Kerouac and countless other writers, has died. He was 76. Plimpton died Thursday night at his Manhattan apartment, his longtime friend, restaurateur Elaine Kaufman, said Friday. She had no information on the cause. Earlier this year, Plimpton lent his voice to The Simpsons, where he played himself, as the host of the National Spelling Olympics in the episode “I’m Spelling As Fast As I Can”. It was one of the last appearances he’d ever make. You can read about his accomplishments at Chicago Sun Times.
