Romance novelist Judith Krantz, author of 'Scruples,' dead at 91

Famed astrologer Walter Mercado died Saturday in San Juan, Puerto Rico, according to family members. He was 87.

Former "Survivor" contestant and retired Navy SEAL Rudy Boesch died Nov. 1, 2019, at age 91.

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Actor-comedian John Witherspoon, who memorably played Ice Cube’s father in the “Friday” films, has died at age 77, his manager confirmed Oct. 29, 2019.

Former U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., died Oct. 28, 2019, following a prolonged illness, her family said.

Former Michigan Rep. John Conyers, who represented the Detroit area for five decades before resigning in 2017, has died. He was 90.

The leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is believed dead after being targeted by a U.S. military raid in Syria.

Former Raiders player and Hall of Famer Willie Brown died at age 78, according to reports.

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Former Baltimore Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro III, the brother of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has died. He was 90.

Actor Bill Macy, who played Bea Arthur’s husband Walter Findlay on the 1970s television show, "Maude," died Sept. 17. He was 97. 

Country music radio personality Bob Kingsley died at age 80 of bladder cancer.

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., has died at age 68, his office announced Oct. 17, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Univision founder Emilio Nicolas Sr. died Saturday at his San Antonio home. He was 88. 

 

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This 1997 file photo shows former Mouseketeer Karen Pendleton, who starred in the original run of "The Mickey Mouse Club" in the 1950s. She died Oct. 6, 2019, at age 73, multiple news outlets are reporting.

Larry Junstrom of .38 Special. Junstrom passed away at the age of 70.

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Groundbreaking actress, singer and model Diahann Carroll died in Los Angeles on Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, according to her family. She was 84.

Bill Bidwill, who has been an owner of the Cardinals franchise in the NFL since 1962, died Oct. 2. He was 88.

Grammy-nomniated songwriter and producer Busbee died at age 43 of cancer.

Actor Rob Garrison, best known for his role as Tommy in “The Karate Kid” movies, died Sept. 27. He was 59.

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Actor Aron Eisenberg, who played Nog on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," died Sept. 21, 2019, according to the official "Star Trek" website and Fox News. He was 50 years old. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

Barron Hilton, with his wife Marilyn, open a new Hilton Hotel during the 1960s. Barron Hilton died Sept 19. He was 91.

Howard "Hopalong" Cassady, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1955 for Ohio State, died Sept. 20 in Tampa, Florida. He was 85.

 

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Mike Stefanik, the winningest driver in the history of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour series, was killed in a small plane crash Sept. 15. He was 61..

Ric Ocasek, famed frontman for The Cars rock band, was found dead in a Manhattan apartment on Sept 15, 2019. He was 75. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

Eddie Money performs during "FOX & Friends" All American Concert Series outside of FOX Studios on June 7, 2013 in New York City. Money died Sept. 13, 2019 at the age of 70. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)
 

Founder & Chairman, BP Capital Management T. Boone Pickens speaks at the 2016 Concordia Summit. Pickens died Sept. 11, 2019, at the age of 91. (Photo by Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

Chris Duncan, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2005 to 2009 and helped the team to a World Series title in 2006, died Friday. He was 38

Robert Mugabe, the former president of Zimbabwe, died Sept. 6. He was 95.

Actress Carol Lynley starred in the 1972 film, "The Poseidon Adventure."

Hall of Fame center Jim Langer, the anchor of the Miami Dolphins' offensive line when the team went unbeaten in 1972, died Aug. 29. He was 71.

In this May 2014 file photo, actress Valerie Harper testifies before a senate committee in Washington. Harper, who played  Rhoda Morgenstern on back-to-back hit sitcoms in the 1970s, died Aug. 30, 2019, at age 80, after suffering from brain cancer.

TV personality, welder and driver Jessi Combs died at age 36 on Aug. 27 in a car crash while trying to break a land-speed record. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Vince Naimoli brought major league baseball to the Tampa Bay area when he founded the then-Devil Rays.

 

In this Aug. 1, 2015, file photo, David Koch speaks at a summit hosted by Americans for Prosperity in Columbus, Ohio. Koch, a major donor to conservative causes and educational groups, died on Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. He was 79.

Paula Deen’s younger brother, Earl “Bubba” Wayne Hiers Jr., shown in this 2012 file photo, died Aug. 15 from pancreatic cancer. He was 65.

Former Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, the first woman elected to head the state, died Sunday. She was 76. 

Former NFL player Cedric Benson, who played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, died in a motorcycle-and-car accident at age 36.

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach Darryl Drake died early Sunday morning, Aug. 12, 2019, the team said.

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Pro wrestling legend 'Handsome' Harley Race died Aug.1, 2019 of complications from lung cancer. He was 76 years old. Race was considered one of the top champions in the sport and won then NWA championship seven times.

Hal Prince seen at the Meet & Greet for the Manhattan Theatre Club's Broadway Premiere of 'Prince of Broadway' in 2017. He died in Iceland in 2019 after a brief illness.

Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti, who played in three Super Bowls and helped the Miami Dolphins to a perfect season in 1972, died July 31. He was 78.

Voice actress Russi Taylor, who voiced Minnie Mouse since 1986, died Friday, July 26, 2019, at the age of 75. She's pictured here with Minnie Mouse at a star ceremony at the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 22, 2018, in Hollywood, California. 

Maxim Dadashev (L) of Russia battles with Antonio de Marco of Mexico during a super lightweight bout at Park Theater at Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on October 20, 2018. Dadashev died in July 2019 at age 28.

This Tuesday, July 5, 2011, file photo shows NASA Mission Control founder Chris Kraft in the old Mission Control at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Kraft, the agency's first flight director, died Monday, July 22, 2019, at th age of 95. 

Art Neville of The Meters performs during the 2017 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Neville died at age 81.

Russell Smith of The Amazing Rhythm Aces performs in London in 1998. Smith died of cancer at age 70 on July 12, 2019.

Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens died Tuesday, July 16, 2019, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., after suffering a stroke Monday. He was 99. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

Actress Denise Nickerson, best known as Violet from the 1971 film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," died July 10, 2019, at age 62, her family said in a Facebook post. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

Former major league baseball pitcher, whose 1970 bestselling book, "Ball Four," created a storm of controversy, died July 10. He was 80.

Award-winning television, film and theater actor Rip Torn died at the age of 88, on July 9. (AP Photo/Michael Caulfield, File)

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Cameron Boyce, who starred in the Disney Channel's "Descendants" TV movies and the series "Jessie," died at age 20, a family spokesperson said in a statement July 6, 2019. (Image Group LA via Getty Images) 

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Luis Alvarez the terminally ill 9/11 first responder who gave an emotional plea in front of Congress before going into Hospice care, has died. He was 53. 

Beth Chapman, wife of "Dog the Bounty Hunter" star Duane "Dog" Chapman, died after a battle with throat cancer on June 26, 2019.

Author Judith Krantz poses in an undated file photo during an interview at her home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles, Ca. Krantz died Saturday, June 22, 2019 in her Bel Air home of natural causes, her son, Tony Krantz, said. She was 91.

LttCol. Robert Friend, one of the last original Tuskegee Airmen, died at age 99 June 21.

Socialite, fashion designer, actress and artist Gloria Vanderbilt died at age 95.

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Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen died June 13 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 75.

Geto Boys rapper Bushwick Bill, whose real name was Richard Shaw, died June 9 after battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer, his publicist said. He was 52.

Louisiana-born musician Dr. John, who had a hoodoo-infused stage persona and gravelly bayou drawl, died at age 77 on June 6, 2019, of a heart attack. His birth name was Mac Rebennack. He's seen here at the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Legendary New Orleans chef and civil rights icon Leah Chase has died at 96, according to a statement her family released to news outlets. 

Psychedelic rock pioneer Roky Erickson, who fronted the 13th Floor Elevators during the 1960s, died May 31. He was 71. 

Green Bay Packers quarterback and former Packers head coach Bart Starr died at age 85 in Birmingham, Alabama, in May 2019. (Stephen Cohen/Getty Images)

Rod Bramblett, left, the broadcasting voice for Auburn University sports, was killed in an automobile accident May 25, along with his wife, Paula. He was 53.

Keith Mitchell (left), Melvin Edmonds and Kevon Edmonds of After 7 attend a pre-party for 33rd annual Grammy Awards on Jan. 18, 1991. Melvin, brother of popular R&B vocalist and producer Kenny ‘Babyface’ Edmonds, died May 18, 2019, at age 65.

 

Renowned author Herman Wouk, known for "The Caine Mutiny," "The Winds of War," and other works, died Friday, May 17, 2019, according to his literary agent. He was 103.

Grumpy Cat attended  Super Bowl 50 events on February 4, 2016, in San Francisco, California. The cat that had become the face of the internet died May 14. She was 7.
 

Noted architect I.M. Pei, who designed the glass structures at the Louvre and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, died May 16. He was 102. 

Former WWE star Ashley Massaro died May 16. She was 39.

Comedian Tim Conway of the television show 'Inside Comedy' speaks during the Showtime portion of the 2012 Television Critics Association Press Tour. Conway died at the age of 85.

Doris Day, whose wholesome screen presence stood for a time of innocence in '60s films, died Monday, May 13, 2019, her foundation said. She was 97. (AP Photo, File)

Actress Peggy Lipton has died from colon cancer at the age of 72, according to news reports. Lipton’s death was announced May 11, 2019, by her daughters Kidada and Rashida Jones, according to the Los Angeles Times.

 

Actor Peter Mayhew at the premiere of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story'  on May 10, 2018 in Hollywood. Mayhew, who also played the Wokiee, Chewbacca, in the first three 'Star Wars' films, died at 74 on April 30, 2019 from a heart attack at home in Texas.

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LOS ANGELES — Romance author Judith Krantz, best known for writing "Scruples" and nine other best-selling novels, has died at age 91, multiple news outlets reported Sunday.

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According to The Associated Press, Krantz died of natural causes Saturday afternoon at her home in Los Angeles' Bel-Air neighborhood, said one of her sons, producer Tony Krantz.

Before she published the racy "Scruples" at age 50 in 1978, Krantz wrote for women's magazines such as Cosmopolitan, McCall's and Ladies' Home Journal. She eventually wrote 10 novels that sold more than 80 million copies around the world, CNN reported. She also published a memoir, "Sex and Shopping: The Confessions of a Nice Jewish Girl," in 2001.

Several of Krantz's books, including "Scruples," "Princess Daisy" and "Mistral's Daughter," were adapted into television miniseries in the '80s and '90s. A remake of the "Scruples" miniseries was "still in the works" when she died, Tony Krantz told the AP.

Krantz was preceded in death by her husband, producer Steve Krantz. She is survived by their two sons and two grandchildren, the AP reported.

Fellow authors took to Twitter after learning of Krantz's death, calling her a "legend."

Read more here.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.