Simplify the following text for a Grade 7 native English-speaking person.
Original: John Michael Crichton was born in Chicago Illinois , , to John Henderson Crichton , a journalist , and Zula Miller Crichton , on October 23 , 1942 .
Simplified: Michael Crichton ( October 23 , 1942 â `` November 4 , 2008 ) was an American author of many books .