Prolific crime writer Elmore Leonard has passed away at the age of 87

American crime writer Elmore Leonard has died at home near Detroit at the age of 87, after suffering a stroke earlier this month.

Leonard is the author of 45 novels, written over five decades. Many of his novels were adapted for film and television, including Get Shorty and Out of Sight. Leonard was the executive producer of the TV show Justified, which is based on Leonard’s novels Pronto and Riding the Rap.

The New York Times says of Leonard’s legacy:

“To his admiring peers, Mr. Leonard did more than merely validate the popular crime thriller; he stripped the form of its worn-out affectations, reinventing it for a new generation and elevating it to a higher literary shelf.”

You can read Elmore Leonard’s famous ten rules of writing here.