Novelist Jackie Collins died of breast cancer on Saturday, according to a statement from her family. She was 77. In a tweet early Sunday, the author sister Joan Collins wrote: “Farewell to my beautiful brave baby sister. I will love you and miss you forever. Rest in peace.†She had lived in California for years and was a naturalized US citizen.
Collins wrote 32 novels, all of which showed up on The New York Times blockbusters list. Her books sold more than 500 million copies in 40 countries. Eight of her novels have been adapted to film or TV mini-series including Hollywood Wives, Lady Boss, The Bitch and Yesterday’s Hero.
Collins and her sister Joan Collins, 82, famously found great success at trading on the Hollywood early bad girl mystique they had, both on screen and off.
“It is with colossal sadness that we announce the death of our excellent, dynamic and stand-out mother,” the announcement said. “She lived with a brilliantly full life and was loved by her family, companions and the millions of readers who she has been engrossing for more than four decades.
She was a genuine motivation, a pioneer for women in fiction and an innovative power. She will live on through her characters but we already miss her beyond words.â€
Collins was diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer six-and-a-half years ago, as per US VIP magazine People. She told the magazine in her last interview on 14 September that she had told few people about her diagnosis other than her three little daughters, and did not regret her decision.
