Thursday, June 18, 2026

Elmore Leonard, Great Novelist, Dead at 87

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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.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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