Dame Jilly Cooper, the bestselling novelist, journalist, and national treasure, has died unexpectedly at the age of 88.
Known for countless books – including Rivals, which was made into a hit Disney+ show – Dame Jilly told exuberant tales of sex, class, and scandal, ultimately transforming the face of popular fiction in the UK.
Her children, Felix and Emily, said in a statement that her death came after a fall and was ‘a complete shock.’
They wrote: ‘Mum was the shining light in all of our lives. Her love for all of her family and friends knew no bounds.
They continue: ‘Her unexpected death has come as a complete shock. We are so proud of everything she achieved in her life and can’t begin to imagine life without her infectious smile and laughter all around us.’
Across a career spanning more than half a century, Dame Jilly became one of Britain’s most distinctive and best-loved writers.
With her signature wit and warmth, she chronicled the foibles of the English upper-middle classes with both satire and sympathy.
Her Rutshire Chronicles – beginning with Riders (1985) – defined an era of publishing and introduced readers to the rakish Rupert Campbell-Black, a show-jumping antihero whose name became shorthand for a certain brand of charming, selfish Englishman.
Her 1975 debut, Emily, marked the start of a fifty-year relationship with Transworld, during which she published eighteen novels and more than twenty works of non-fiction, irrevocably redefining the literary voice of English women.
The Common Years, her memoir of walking her dogs on Putney Common, remains a reader favourite, cherished for its warmth and self-deprecating humour.
A lifelong animal lover, Cooper’s Gloucestershire home was famously shared with an assortment of dogs and horses. She was appointed OBE in 2004 for services to literature, an honour that was upgraded in 2024 to full Damehood.
Felicity Blunt, her long-time agent, described Dame Jilly as ‘a woman who has defined culture, writing and conversation since she was first published over fifty years ago.’
She continued: ‘Jilly will undoubtedly be best remembered for her chart-topping Rutshire Chronicles and their havoc-making and handsome show-jumping hero Rupert Campbell-Black,’ Blunt said.
‘You wouldn’t expect books categorised as bonkbusters to have so emphatically stood the test of time, but Jilly wrote with acuity and insight about all things — class, sex, marriage, rivalry, grief and fertility. Her plots were both intricate and gutsy, spiked with sharp observations and wicked humour.’
Blunt added that Dame Jilly’s gift lay not only in her satire, but in her humanity: ‘She wrote, she said, simply “to add to the sum of human happiness.” In this regard, as a writer she was and remains unbeatable.’
In later life, Dame Jilly saw her work find new audiences, serving as executive producer on the Disney+ adaptation of Rivals, a revival of her beloved Rutshire world.
‘Her suggestions for story and dialogue inevitably layered and enriched scripts,’ said Blunt. ‘Her presence on set was a joy for cast and crew alike.’
Her publisher, Bill Scott-Kerr of Transworld, paid tribute to Dame Jilly’s ‘genius as a novelist’ and her ‘irrepressible enthusiasm.’
‘Working with Jilly Cooper over the past thirty years has been one of the great privileges and joys of my publishing life,’ he said.
‘Beyond her genius as a novelist, she was always a personal heroine of mine for so many reasons — for her kindness and friendship, for her humour, for her curiosity, and for her profound love of animals.’
Dame Jilly married Leo Cooper in 1961, a publisher of military history books, and subsequently adopted two children together.
The couple remained married until Leo’s death in 2013.
Dame Jilly’s funeral will be a private family one, in accordance with her wishes. A public service of thanksgiving will be held in the coming months at Southwark Cathedral to celebrate her extraordinary life.
She is survived by her children, Felix and Emily.
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