Dame Jilly Cooper dies at 88 after fall

Dame Jilly Cooper, the best-selling British novelist behind the Rutshire Chronicles, has died at the age of 88 after suffering a fall on Sunday morning, October 5, her agency said. Her children, Felix and Emily, described her death as a shock and paid tribute to her as a central presence in their lives.

Cooper’s death was confirmed by Curtis Brown, which said she died following a fall. In a joint statement, her children said, "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. We are so proud of everything she achieved in her life and cant begin to imagine life without her infectious smile and laughter all around us."

Cooper launched her career as a journalist before publishing her first book, How to Stay Married, in 1969. She moved into fiction during the 1970s after securing a multi-book contract, producing a string of romantic and comic novels that drew on upper-middle-class settings and themes of class, sex and relationships. Her Rutshire Chronicles, a long-running series set in a fictional Cotswolds county, brought her widespread popularity and commercial success.