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."
I literally just gasped when I read that Judith Krantz passed away. A legend.
— Kellye Garrett (@kellyekell) June 23, 2019
I remember thinking I was grown at 13 because my mom let me read her books. https://t.co/nQYcnavNnL
RIP Judith Krantz, the incomparable, the legend. https://t.co/JqWkUx7wWX
— Sarah Weinman (@sarahw) June 23, 2019
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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