Tulsa Novelist, Columnist Jay Cronley Dies

Longtime Tulsa World columnist Jay Cronley died Sunday.

The Tulsa World said he died of natural causes in his Tulsa home. He was 73.

Cronley joined the World in 1992, after spending almost as many years at the Tulsa Tribune.

“Jay was a one-of-a-kind newspaper columnist. He made us laugh and at times he made us cry. He was no friend to local meteorologists and sometimes people in general. He was a true dog lover. There’ll never be another like him,” said Susan Ellerbach, Tulsa World Executive Editor.

Cronley was the author of seven novels, including "Quick Change" and "Funny Farm." Four of his books were made into movies, the best-known of which was 1988's "Funny Farm," which starred Chevy Chase. The comedy is about a sportswriter and his wife who leave the city for a small town so the husband can write novels, only to discover the small town is not what they thought it would be.

Cronley became a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame in 2002.