Best-selling novelist Dame Jilly Cooper, who is known as the “Queen of the bonkbuster,” passed away on Sunday (October 5, 2025), at the age of 88. According to her agent, Curtis Brown, Jilly passed away suddenly following a fall.
Her children, Felix and Emily, 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. 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.”
According to a BBC report, Queen Camilla, a longtime friend of Jilly, paid tribute to the author in a statement, calling her a “legend” and a “wonderfully witty and compassionate friend.” She added, “May her hereafter be filled with impossibly handsome men and devoted dogs.”
Jilly was celebrated for her raunchy romance novels, which sold over 12 million copies during her illustrious career. Her most successful works include The Rutshire Chronicles, starting with Riders in 1985, which told stories about the scandals, love lives and social lives of rich people who loved horses.
In 1988, the follow-up, Rivals was released. It gained new fans when it was adapted into a television series by Disney+. She sold over 11 million books in the UK alone.
Fans were overjoyed, when the author made a cameo appearance in the fifth episode of the series, Rivals.
Jilly was an executive producer of Rivals, which became a major hit for Disney+. After first season premiered a year ago, a second season is now in production and is all set to launch in 2026, with Happy Prince once again producing the show.
Lee Mason, Executive Director of Scripted, Disney+ EMEA, was quoted by Deadline as saying, “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the passing of the irreplaceable Dame Jilly Cooper – a trailblazer in British literature celebrated for her joyful, naughty and insightful writing in a world often too serious. It has been a privilege to bring her beloved world of Rivals to television. Our thoughts are with Jilly’s family, friends and fans as we raise a glass – of champagne, naturally – to her extraordinary legacy.”
Felicity Blunt, Jilly’s agent at Curtis Brown, said that along with her successful writing career, she also worked as an executive producer on Rivals, adding, “Her suggestions for story and dialogue inevitably layered and enriched scripts and her presence on set was a joy for cast and crew alike. The privilege of my career has been working with a woman who has defined culture, writing and conversation since she was first published over fifty years ago.”
According to the tabloid’s report, a private funeral will be held as per Jilly’s wishes. The family has requested privacy as they mourn. Reportedly, in the coming months, a public thanksgiving service will be held at Southwark Cathedral in London “to give everyone who knew Jilly a chance to celebrate her remarkable life.”
