Death of Rivals author Dame Jilly Cooper aged 88 announced as tributes pour in
The writer died suddenly following a fall on Sunday
Dame Jilly Cooper, author of the best-selling book which was televised in smash-hit TV drama Rivals last year, has died suddenly aged 88.
Tributes have since poured in for the bonkbuster writer. Dame Jilly sold more than 11 million copies of her books in the UK alone.
Her children – Felix and Emily – shared a statement today (October 6) confirming her death. It was also revealed that she passed away after suffering a fall.
The death of Dame Jilly Cooper has seen an outpouring of grief [Credit: BBC]
Death of Dame Jilly Cooper announced
Rivals author Dame Jilly Cooper died suddenly yesterday morning (October 5), it has sadly been confirmed.
Dame Jilly’s children said in a statement: “Mum, was the shining light in all of our lives. Her love for all of her family and friends knew no bounds.
“Her unexpected death has come as a complete shock.”
They added: “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.”
Dame Jilly worked as exec producer on the TV adaptation of her novel Rivals [Credit: Splash News]
Tributes to the queen of the bonkbuster
Her agent Felicity Blunt also shared a tribute to the writer. She said: “The privilege of my career has been working with a woman who has defined culture, writing and conversation since she was first published over 50 years ago.
“Jilly will undoubtedly be best remembered for her chart-topping series The Rutshire Chronicles and its havoc-making and handsome show-jumping hero Rupert Campbell-Black.
“You wouldn’t expect books categorised as bonkbusters to have so emphatically stood the test of time but Jilly wrote with acuity and insight about all things – class, sex, marriage, rivalry, grief and fertility.
“Her plots were both intricate and gutsy, spiked with sharp observations and wicked humour. She regularly mined her own life for inspiration and there was something Austenesque about her dissections of society, its many prejudices and norms. But if you tried to pay her this compliment, or any compliment, she would brush it aside.
“She wrote, she said, simply ‘to add to the sum of human happiness’. In this regard as a writer she was and remains unbeatable.
“In her last few years Jilly added to her curriculum vitae by serving as an executive producer on the Happy Prince adaptation of her novel Rivals for Disney+. Her suggestions for story and dialogue inevitably layered and enriched scripts and her presence on set was a joy for cast and crew alike.
“Emotionally intelligent, fantastically generous, sharply observant and utter fun, Jilly Cooper will be deeply missed by all at Curtis Brown and on the set of Rivals.
“I have lost a friend, an ally, a confidante and a mentor. But I know she will live forever in the words she put on the page and on the screen.”
Her career – and The Rutshire Chronicles
Jilly started her career as a journalist. She worked on the Middlesex Independent from 1957 to 1959. Her big break came when she was asked to write a feature about the experience for the Sunday Times Magazine. This launched her into the spotlight and led to her own column where she wrote about marriage, sex and housework.
She published her first book, How To Stay Married, in 1969. This was followed by a guide, How to Survive From Nine To Five, in 1970. Racy bestseller Riders – the first novel in the Rutshire Chronicles – was published in 1985. Rivals followed in 1988.
Read more: Frauds ending explained: Did they pull off the heist of the century?
