I don't know that he has a fan base here, but he was, I believe, a fine writer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/21/books/elmore-leonard-master-of-crime-fiction-dies-at-87.html?_r=0
He made it look so easy, but it was hard, what he did. The only problem with making it look so easy is that everyone thinks they can do it, and so the world is inundated with 10,000 Elmore Leonard impersonators, none of them even half as good as he was.
I'll come out of hiding for a moment to say that, yes, I've long been an Elmore Leonard fan. Any writer could learn a bunch from him in terms of dialogue, pacing, and characterization, among other things. Sad to see him go.
Count me in. Enjoy his works.
LOVED his collection of short stories " When the Women Come Out To Dance" He was a great story teller. I'm a HUGE Justified fan, LOVED "Get Shorty" but was really surprised to learn that movies like "Hombre" and "3:10 to Yuma" were Elmore Leonard.
I've read most of his stories and novels, also a fan of Justified. So much of his work is cinematic, with dialogue that lends itself to adaptation. He's a good model for storytelling in fiction.
Let us not forget JACKIE BROWN, from the Leonard book, movie co-written with Tarantino, directed by Tarantino.
I love that film. RUM PUNCH is my current bus read.
And Killshot...
Killshot is probably my favorite (I'm only now just learning there's a film version). Rum Punch (Jackie Brown) and Out of Sight are also solid books with solid movie adaptations.
Crime fiction is a seductive art and Elmore Leonard was truly one of the masters. He was working on a book when he died. I know because I was waiting to buy it as soon as it appeared.
If you liked Elmore Leonard, you might consider also the work of the Irish novelist, Ken Bruen. I recommend the Jack Taylor series. Great stuff.