Elmore Leonard, Great Novelist, Dead at 87

Elmore Leonard, who wrote great crime novels and mysteries, died this morning at 7:15am. His Facebook page said he was surrounded by family. Leonard had recently suffered a stroke. Author of countless bestsellers, many of his books were made into movies including “Get Shorty,” “Out of Sight,” and “Jackie Brown” (which was published as “Rum Punch”). The F/X series “Justified” is based on his stories. Twenty six of his novels and short stories have been made into movies– some of them twice, like “3:10 to Yuma.” His work has given audiences around the world immense pleasure. Leonard was one of the few writers of this generation to make literary work accessible. He will be sorely missed.