The bestselling author and 'queen of the bonkbuster' Dame Jilly Cooper has died after a fall at the age of 88, her family announced on Monday.
The English author is behind the much-loved books the Rutshire Chronicles, including Riders and Rivals. She is best known for her so-called "bonkbuster" style novel exploring romance, sex and upper-class life.
Her children Felix and Emily described her as the “shining light” in their lives while the author’s agent Felicity Blunt said working with her was “the privilege” of her career.
Ms Blunt, who is the sister of British actress Emily Blunt, said: “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.”
She added: “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 first book, How To Stay Married, was written in 1969 but her first big hit came with Riders published in 1985 which went straight to the top of best seller lists. In total she has written or helped to compile 44 other books.
Riders was her first novel to be adapted for a two part TV series, which hit nine million viewers for the first episode.
As tributes to the late author roll in, we’ve put together eight of her best quotes on love and life from over the years.
5. Jilly Cooper on...getting through the day
“Never drink black coffee at lunch: it will keep you awake in the afternoon.” | Chris Jackson/PA Wire
6. Jilly Cooper on...#MeToo
"They are unbelievable the upper classes, aren't they? They just have to screw. They've always been like that. I suppose it has changed a bit today as they don’t want to get whatsitnamed." | PA
7. Jilly Cooper on...running
"The looniness of the long distance runner - pounding along country lanes, so anxious to lop off seconds he never stops to marvel at a field of buttercups or a flock of geese against the sky.” | PA
8. Jilly Cooper on...woke culture
"This woke thing is awful. Have you ever been woked? You put a hand on somebody's shoulder and you're assaulting them. In the old days if someone was awful to you you'd tell them to eff off and that would be that. Still, I had some horrors in my time." | PA