Judith Krantz, Best-Selling Author and Columnist, Dies at 91

Publish date: 2024-09-30

Judith Krantz, a best-selling author known for her novels “Scruples” and “Princess Daisy,” died Saturday from natural causes, surrounded by family, friends and her four dogs at her Bel Air, California home, her publicist John Tellem confirmed. She was 91.

Krantz began her career in journalism, working for Good Housekeeping writing freelance articles for Macleans, McCalls, Ladies Home Journal and Cosmopolitan. She would remain in the industry for the next 27 years, interviewing a number of prominent women and writing numerous articles — her most popular of which was “The Myth of the Multiple Orgasm.”

In 1977, Krantz completed her first novel, “Scruples,” turning 50 the same year that it was published. In four months, the book reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list, beginning a new career for the famed journalist.

When asked about “Scruples” in a New York Times interview, she said, “My novel gives women a big bubble bath. It’s a chocolate eclair. It’s the kind of novel people love. I loved it myself.”

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Soon after, Krantz’s second novel, “Princess Daisy,” also topped the bestseller list, setting the record for the highest price ever paid for a novel at the time.

Currently, Krantz’s books number more than 80 million in print, encompassing over 50 languages. Seven of her novels have been adapted for television as miniseries, with her husband serving as Executive Producer for most of them, and she also wrote one original miniseries for television, “Judith Krantz’s ‘Secrets’,” in 1992.

Krantz is survived by her son, Tony, daughter-in-law Kristin Dornig Krantz and son Nicholas.

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