Photo courtesy jackiecollins.com
Best-selling author, Jackie Collins, has died after a valiant battle with breast cancer. She passed away yesterday at the age of 77. Collins who made a name for herself and sold millions of novels, writing about characters who lived glamorous or adventurous lives. Many of her novels were set in the glitzy world of Hollywood, which she knew well. She was also an actress and the younger sister of actress, Joan Collins.
Here’s part of a statement the family posted on the writer’s website:
“She lived a wonderfully full life and was adored by her family, friends and the millions of readers who she has been entertaining for over four decades. She was a true inspiration, a trail blazer for women in fiction and a creative force. She will live on through her characters but we already miss her beyond words.”
Collins wrote more than 30 novels, which reportedly sold over 500 million copies. Her latest, “The Santangelos” came out this summer. Several of her books were adapted for films and TV productions. Some of her best known novels are “Hollywood Wives,” “Hollywood Husbands,” and “Lucky.” Collins was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer several years ago, but did not disclose her illness until this week, in an exclusive interview with People Magazine.
In that interview, Collins expressed no regrets about her life and for keeping her cancer fight private:
“I did it my way, as Frank Sinatra would say. I’ve written five books since the diagnosis, I’ve lived my life, I’ve travelled all over the world, I have not turned down book tours and no one has ever known until now when I feel as though I should come out with it.”
Collins’ survivors include three daughters and her sister Joan.
