British Fiction Icon Jilly Cooper Dies at 88

Jilly Cooper, the celebrated British author and a defining figure in popular fiction of the late 20th century, has passed away at the age of 88, her family and agent announced today.

Born in 1937, Cooper began her career in local journalism in Brentford, before turning to fiction in the 1970s. 

She became a bestselling author with novels that blended romance, drama, and social satire, most famously Riders and Rivals, which cemented her reputation as a chronicler of wealthy lifestyles, complex relationships, and the equestrian world.

Her most notable work came through The Rutshire Chronicles, a series exploring the sexual lives and excesses of England’s upper class in the 1980s. 

Millions of copies sold in the UK alone, making her a pillar of British commercial fiction.

In 2024, her work gained renewed attention when Rivals was adapted into a successful drama starring David Tennant and Alex Hassell, introducing Cooper to a new generation of readers and viewers.

Her agent, Felicity Blunt, said: "It has been my privilege to work with a woman who redefined British culture, writing, and dialogue for over fifty years since her first novel."