American author Philip Roth has sadly passed away aged 85. According to his literary agent, Andrew Wylie, the Pulitzer Prize winning author died in a New York City hospital of congestive heart failure on Tuesday. Philip was best known for his satirical writings, and was the author of over 25 books including The Human Stain, American Pastoral and Portnoy's Complaint. Philip's admirers took to Twitter to pay tribute to him, with one person writing: "When a great writer dies, even one who you have stopped reading, it feels like part of your youth has passed. You never forget the gratitude you felt at discovery and the feeling they changed you a little. #PhilipRoth," while another added: "Sabbath's Theatre, American Pastoral, The Human Stain, The Plot Against America; four masterpieces in less than a decade, at an age when most writers have long since peaked."
© Photo: Getty ImagesDirector James Gunn shared a picture of one of Philip's novels, The Counter Life, and wrote: "RIP Philip Roth. This one hurts, both me and all of literature. He taught me when I was at Columbia and was a huge influence, impressing upon me the importance of writing through the hard times. I have many favourite books by Roth, but this is one of them." David Baddiel added: "RIP Philip Roth. The last of those who David Foster Wallace called the Great Male Narcissists - Bellow, Updike, Mailer and him - to go. He was properly funny. Not high literature funny. Laugh out loud, stand-up funny. And all the other stuff he could do, but funny is the thing."
© Photo: Getty ImagesIn memoriam: Celebrities we lost in 2018
Philip was born in Newark, New Jersey, to Bessie and Hermon Roth. He married twice, first to Margaret Martinson in 1956, with the pair separating in 1963, and the second time to his longtime companion, Claire Bloom, in 1990. The pair separated four years later, and Claire published a memoir about their relationship titled Leaving a Doll's House.
