It is with great sadness that we report the loss of possibly one of the greatest crime novelists of all time. Elmore Leonard passed away at this morning from complications following a stroke. He was 87 years old.
Leonard wrote dozens of novels over the years, and much of his work made it to the big screen. Three of his most famous works were GET SHORTY, which was made into a film starring John Travolta and Danny DeVito, OUT OF SIGHT, which hit the screen in 1998 starring George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, and Rum Punch, which was filmed in 1997 as JACKIE BROWN, brought to the screen by Quentin Tarantino. He also wrote the source material for 3:10 TO YUMA, a western, which most of his early novels were.
His most recent work was on the hit TV show JUSTIFIED, which was inspired by his character of US Marshal Raylan Givens. One of his other popular books ‘The Switch,’ has been filmed as LIFE OF CRIME, and will be out later in the year.
He was said to be working on his 46th novel at the time of his death.
He passed away in Detroit at 7.15am local time today, and is survived by five children, 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Rest in peace.
Source: Various
