British author, best known for her long-running Rutshire Chronicles series including the recently adapted ‘Rivals’ novel, Dame Jilly Cooper, has sadly passed away at the age 88. Her children, Felix and Emily say her death following a fall on Sunday morning, came as a “complete shock”.
The family 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.”
The author’s first romance novel appeared in 1975, but she found particular fame in the 1980s with the Rutshire Chronicles, the first of which was Riders (1985). Each novel in the Rutshire Chronicles is set in the glamorous and wealthy world, from show jumping to the classical music scene, exploring themes of sexual infidelity, betrayal, monetary issues, domestic problems, and other such dramas. These works made her a prominent figure in British popular literature, showcasing Jilly’s strength in writing witty social commentary and glitzy, sexualised depictions of upper-middle-class life.
Jilly Cooper’s agent Felicity Blunt told the World at One on BBC Radio 4: “Jilly will endure and go on. She was clever and sharp and observant – and as skilled as Jane Austen in satirising her characters and [their] lives.”
Over the years, many of Jilly Cooper’s works were adapted for the screen. However, the most recent iteration was 2024’s Disney+ series, Rivals starring Aidan Turner and David Tennant, which brought her works to a whole new generation of readers and watchers.
Jilly Cooper’s publisher Bill Scott-Kerr who worked with her for the past 30 years said: “Beyond her genius as a novelist, she was always a personal heroine of mine for so many other reasons. For her kindness and friendship, for her humour and irrepressible enthusiasm, for her curiosity, for her courage, and for her profound love of animals.
“A publishing world without a new Jilly Cooper novel on the horizon is a drabber, less gorgeous place and we shall mourn the loss of a ground-breaking talent and a true friend.”
