Bestselling oral history author Jean Stein dies in New York

NEW YORK – Jean Stein, an author who wrote bestselling oral histories, has died in New York City. She was 83.

Authorities say Stein apparently killed herself by jumping from the penthouse floor of a building in upper Manhattan on Sunday. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Stein was a former editor at the Paris Review. In 1970, she and editor George Plimpton produced the oral history “American Journey: The Times of Robert Kennedy.” Plimpton also edited Stein’s “Edie: American Girl,” an oral history of 1960s and Andy Warhol’s muse Edie Sedgwick.

Last year, Random House published her book, “West of Eden: An American Place,” about Los Angeles and the American dream.

In a statement, the publisher said they were “greatly saddened to hear the news” of Stein’s death.