NEW YORK, July 7 (UPI) -- Ralph Ginzburg, who called himself a "brandied fruitcake of a publisher," died in New York reportedly of multiple myeloma at age 76.
The Washington Post reported that Ginzburg, who lost twice in the U.S. Supreme Court for publishing Eros, an erotic magazine for which he was prosecuted and convicted, died at the Mollie and Jack Zicklin Jewish Hospice Residence in the Bronx.
Ginzburg's publishing ranged from a consumer newsletter, to a book on black lynchings, to a collection of his news pictures, The Post reported. In his reporter's role, Ginzburg used disguises including as that of a clergyman to gain entrance to news events. Among his supporters were notables like playwright Arthur Miller, journalist I.F. Stone and attorney Melvin Belli, the report said.
Despite his conviction, Ginzburg didn't stop speaking in support of free expression.
Ginzburg, the son of a Russian immigrant housepainter, received an accounting degree from City College of New York in 1949, but pursued journalism after being the editor of his school paper.
Survivors include his wife, three children and three grandchildren.
