We have tragic news to report from the world of publishing today:
Author Sophie Kinsella — famous for her bestselling series of Shopaholic books — has passed away at the age of 55.
News of Kinsella’s death comes courtesy of an announcement from her family.
Family of Sophie Kinsella shares heartbreaking news with fans
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing this morning of our beloved Sophie (aka Maddy, aka Mummy),” the family wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.
“She died peacefully, with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy,” the statement continued, adding:
“We can’t imagine what life will be like without her radiance and love of life. Despite her illness, which she bore with unimaginable courage, Sophie counted herself truly blessed — to have such wonderful family and friends, and to have had the extraordinary success of her writing career.
She took nothing for granted and was forever grateful for the love she received. She will be missed so much our hearts are breaking.”
Kinsella passed after public battle with brain cancer
Sadly, today’s news did not come as a surprise to Kinsella’s loved ones and biggest fans.
The author — whose real name was Madeleine Sophie Wickham — had been battling brain cancer for the past three years.
It was only in April of this year that she revealed that she’d been diagnosed with “glioblastoma, a form of aggressive brain cancer.”
She wrote at the time that she had had “successful surgery and subsequent radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which is still ongoing.”
Though best known for her lighthearted Shopaholic books — the most recent of which, Christmas Shopaholic, was published in 2019 — Kinsella’s most recent project, a novella titled How Does It Feel? detailed her battle with cancer.
The 2009 film Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher, was based on two of Kinsella’s novels.
According to CNN, 50 million copies of Kinsella’s books have been sold, and they have been translated into over 40 languages, in more than 60 countries.
Kinsella is survived by her husband and five children.
Our thoughts go out to her loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.