Beloved author Jackie Collins died on Saturday, Sept. 19, after privately battling breast cancer for six and a half years, her family confirmed to Us Weekly. She was 77.
The prolific writer, whose last book, The Santangelos, debuted to rave reviews last year, was revered for her smart takes on Hollywood and was well-liked in celebrity circles. (Her sister is Dynasty legend Joan Collins.)
“It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the death of our beautiful, dynamic and one of a kind mother, Jackie Collins, who died of breast cancer today,” the Collins family said.
“She was a true inspiration, a trail blazer for women in fiction, and a creative force. She will live on through her characters but we already miss her beyond words.”
During the course of her career, she wrote 32 novels, all of which made the New York Times' best-sellers list.
Collins counted comedian Kathy Griffin among her close friends, and in July, sat down with Us to recount a glamorous night she had rubbing elbows with celebs such as Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux, Isla Fisher, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Jared Leto at Vanity Fair’s star-studded Oscars party.
Collins is survived by her three daughters, Tracy, 54, Tiffany, 48, and Rory, 46.
