British novelist Dame Jilly Cooper, celebrated for her witty and romantic portrayals of upper-class life in the Rutshire Chronicles series, has died aged 88 following a fall at her home.
Her children, Felix and Emily, confirmed the news, describing her as “the shining light in all of our lives.”
Cooper’s five-decade literary career shaped British popular culture, with her books such as Riders and Rivals achieving enduring success and recent revival through Disney+ adaptations.
Tributes from her agent and industry figures hailed her as a “trailblazer in British literature” whose humour and charm left a lasting legacy, with a second season of Rivals set for release in 2026.
RIP the fabulous Jilly Cooper. She was 88
Rupert Campbell Black had quite the influence on my early 20s pic.twitter.com/9ZRXal8n4n
— Kay Burley (@KayBurley) October 6, 2025
