Elmore Leonard, the writer whose work has inspired movies and television shows, is recovering from a stroke at a Detroit hospital.
“Elmore had a stroke; it happened a week ago, last Monday,” his longtime researcher, Gregg Sutter, told the Detroit News on Monday. “He’s doing better every day, and the family is guardedly optimistic. He’s showing great spirit. He’s a fighter, and we’re glad to see that.”
Leonard, 87, has not stopped writing and doesn’t intend to. The prolific author has written 45 novels and Sutter said that he is working on a 46th. “He’s very much into his 46th novel...working very hard,” Sutter said.
Today, Leonard may be best known for creating the inspiration behind FX’s critically praised Justified. According to The Los Angeles Times, he created the show’s character, Raylan Givens, in the short story Fire in the Hole and featured the character in the novels Pronto, Riding the Rap and Raylan. He earned a Peabody Award for the show.
His most recent honor came in November, when he received the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution.
Leonard’s work has been made into countless films and shows, beginning with the classic 1957 western 3: 10 To Yuma. Other films include Hombre, Get Shorty, Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight and Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, which is based on Rum Punch.
We wish Leonard a speedy recovery.
image: Wikimedia Commons
