Elmore Leonard, Famed Crime Novelist, Dies At 97

Elmore Leonard, the esteemed writer of numerous crime novels and short stories including 3:10 to Yuma, died on Tuesday. He was 87.

Leonard died, “surrounded by his loving family,” at his Bloomfield Village, Mich., home, according to Harper Collins president Michael Morrison. His death was a result of complications following a stroke.

"It feels not in keeping with Elmore's 'no fuss' persona to try to pay tribute to this great man,” Morrison had continued in his statement. “But Elmore was a true legend — unpretentious, unbelievably talented and the coolest dude in the room.”

Leonard’s editor, David Highfill, also released a statement that remembered the best-selling author and his contributions the crime novel canon. "There was, is and will be only one Elmore Leonard. He was the most original in this prolific age of American crime fiction, the original jazz man,” Highfill said. "His voice — sly, gentle, funny, often startling, always human — will speak to readers for generations to come through Ray Givens, Jack Foley, Chili Palmer and so many other unforgettable characters. I miss him already."

_{Elmore Leonard in 1989}

The most recent adaptation of Leonard’s work manifested itself in FX series Justified. Starring Timothy Olyphant as a disgraced U.S. Marshall, it follows the narrative of Leonard’s 2001 short story Fire in the Hole. Three-Ten to Yuma, which the late author wrote in 1953, was turned into a movie in 2007, starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale.

Over the course of his prolific career, Leonard completed over 40 novels. Among his best-known works are Get Shorty, Out of Sight, Hombre, Mr. Majestyk and Rum Punch. More recent novels of his included Mr. Paradise, The Hot Kid, Up in Honey’s Room, Road Dogs and Raylan.

In addition to working on books and short stories, Leonard also lent his hand to craft a few screenplays. He penned the script for both Mr. Majetstyk starring Charles Bronson and Clint Eastwood vehicle Joe Kidd in 1972. His book Rum Punch was adapted for the big screen by Quentin Tarantino in 1997's Jackie Brown.

Of all the adaptations of his works, he was most pleased with Justified, even dedicating Raylan to the show. The admiration, of course, was mutual. Justified’s cast and crew released a statement sharing their condolences after learning of Leonard's death. "We were blessed by the time we got to spend with him, and we will miss him,” it read. “Our thoughts are with his family. Take it easy, Elmore. PS: We wrote longer versions of this statement, but as Elmore always said: Leave out the parts people tend to skip."

– Chelsea Regan

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