Best-selling author Dame Jilly Cooper dead at 88
Dame Jilly Cooper, one of Britain’s best-selling authors who sold 11 million books, has died aged 88.
In a statement, it was confirmed that Cooper died following a fall on October 5th. “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Dame Jilly Cooper, DBE who died on Sunday morning, after a fall, at the age of 88,” it was shared.
Cooper’s children, Felix and Emily, also paid a poignant tribute to their late mother, writing, “Mum was the shining light in all of our lives. Her love for all of her family and friends knew no bounds.”
Felix and Emily continued, “Her unexpected death has come as a complete shock. We are so proud of everything she achieved in her life and can’t begin to imagine life without her infectious smile and laughter all around us.”
Meanwhile, Cooper’s agent, Felicity Blunt, said it had been the “privilege of my career” to work with the late author who “defined culture, writing and conversation”.
Blunt also highlighted how Cooper filled her work with an “acuity and insight about all things – class, sex, marriage, rivalry, grief and fertility”.
Notably, many of Cooper’s books have been turned into television series or films, including the hit Disney+ series Rivals, which arrived on the streaming platform in 2024. She also wrote the comedy series, It’s Awfully Bad for Your Eyes, Darling, starring Joanne Lumley.
In an interview with The Guardian ahead of the release of Rivals, which starred David Tennant, Emily Atack, Danny Dyer, and Aidan Turner, Cooper called the series “wonderful”, and shared that she hopes it will help familiarise her work with the younger generation.
Cooper is survived by her children, Felix and Emily.
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