U.S. crime writer Elmore Leonard dies at 87 American crime writer Elmore Leonard has died at the age of 87, after suffering a stroke some weeks earlier. Leonard had his commercial breakthrough in 1985 with the publication of "Glitz." His following books, including "Get Shorty," "Out of Sight," and "Freaky Deaky," were all best-sellers. Sometimes called the "Dickens of Detroit," Leonard was the winner of numerous literary awards and Hollywood adapted many of his best sellers. His favourite was said to have been Quentin Tarantino's reworking of "Rum Punch" into the film "Jackie Brown. More about: Death, Hollywood, Literature, USA