Jilly Cooper, the beloved British romance novelist, has died at 88. She died after a fall, a death her family described as “a complete shock.”Beginning her career as a humorous newspaper columnist, Cooper became the grande dame of English romance. She was best known for her bestselling “Rutshire Chronicles,” an 11-book series starting with 1985’s “Riders.” The books, set in Britain’s glamorous upper class, followed the dashing hero Rupert Campbell-Black and his circle through their outlandish exploits and extramarital affairs. Their racy content earned them the nickname “bonkbusters.”
Though her early nonfiction, like 1969’s “How to Stay Married,” contained dated views she later regretted, her fiction was defined by its infectious joy and humor. Cooper wrote, she said, simply “to add to the sum of human happiness.” Her work found new audiences with the 2024 Disney+ adaptation “Rivals,” cementing the legacy of a writer who charmed millions with her keen and joyful observations of society.
