Dame Jilly Cooper, the beloved British novelist whose witty, racy tales of upper-class intrigue captivated generations, has died at the age of 88 after suffering a fall on Sunday morning, October 5, 2025. The news, announced by her agent and confirmed by her children Felix and Emily, has prompted an outpouring of tributes from literary figures, royalty, and fans alike. Her children described her as “the shining light in all of our lives,” adding, “Her love for all of her family and friends knew no bounds. 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.”
Cooper’s passing marks the end of a remarkable era in British popular fiction. Best known for The Rutshire Chronicles—a series that began with the 1985 bestseller Riders and continued through eleven novels, concluding with Tackle in 2023—she sold more than 11 million books in the UK alone, according to BBC News. Her novels, often categorized as “bonkbusters,” chronicled the scandals, rivalries, and complicated love lives of the wealthy, horse-loving country set. Yet, as her agent Felicity Blunt observed, “You wouldn’t expect books categorized 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.”
Born in 1937, Cooper began her professional journey as a journalist, a role that shaped her sharp observational style. Her first book, How to Stay Married, was published in 1969, offering a humorous guide to relationships and the class system. These themes would later infuse her fiction with a unique blend of social commentary and entertainment. She remained married to her husband Leo from 1961 until his death in 2013, and her own experiences frequently inspired her writing. As her publisher Bill Scott-Kerr of Transworld noted, “As a journalist she went where others feared to tread and as a novelist she did likewise. With a winning combination of glorious storytelling, wicked social commentary and deft, lacerating characterisation, she dissected the behaviour, bad mostly, of the English upper middle classes with the sharpest of scalpels.”
Riders, the book that launched her most famous series, almost never saw the light of day. The first version of the manuscript, written 15 years before its eventual publication, was lost when Cooper left it on a bus. The loss was so “devastating” that it took her a decade to begin writing it again. When it finally hit the shelves in 1985, it was an instant sensation, followed by Rivals in 1988 and a string of sequels, each exploring the domestic dramas, betrayals, and passions of Rutshire’s unforgettable cast—none more so than the havoc-making, handsome show-jumping hero Rupert Campbell-Black.
Cooper’s appeal stretched beyond the printed page. In 2024, her novel Rivals was adapted into a hit Disney+ comedy-drama series, with Cooper herself serving as executive producer. The show, which follows the battle for control of an independent TV channel in the 1980s, starred David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Katherine Parkinson, Victoria Smurfit, and others. The first season’s success led to a second season, already in production for a 2026 release. Lee Mason, Executive Director of Scripted at Disney+ EMEA, praised Cooper’s enduring influence, saying, “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the passing of the irreplaceable Dame Jilly Cooper—a trailblazer in British literature celebrated for her joyful, naughty and insightful writing in a world often too serious. It has been a privilege to bring her beloved world of Rivals to television.”
Cooper’s involvement with the adaptation was hands-on and spirited. Felicity Blunt recalled, “Her suggestions for story and dialogue inevitably layered and enriched scripts and her presence on set was a joy for cast and crew alike.” The show’s executive producers, Dominic Treadwell-Collins and Alex Lamb, remembered their time with Cooper fondly: “Crawling around on her sitting room floor with storylines on pieces of paper, sitting up late at her kitchen table holding hands with love and our tummies with laughter, receiving scoldings and heaps of wisdom in equal measure, watching her eyes sparkling as she sat behind the monitor on set watching Rutshire brought to life—every moment spent with Jilly Cooper was bloody marvellous.”
Tributes poured in from all corners of British society. Queen Camilla, who had recently hosted Cooper at the Queen’s Reading Room Festival, described her as “a legend and a wonderfully witty and compassionate friend,” adding, “Very few writers get to be a legend in their own lifetime but Jilly was one, creating a whole new genre of literature and making it her own through a career that spanned over five decades.” The Prime Minister’s spokesman echoed these sentiments, calling Cooper “a literary force whose wit, warmth and wisdom shaped British culture for over half a century and brought joy to millions.”
Public figures from the arts and media also paid their respects. Dame Joanna Lumley, who appeared in Cooper’s 1971 sitcom It’s Awfully Bad for Your Eyes, Darling, said she “adored her,” describing Cooper as “entirely generous, hugely talented, prolific, enthusiastic, meticulous and wholly loveable: a darling friend and a brilliant person.” TV presenter Clare Balding, a fellow animal lover, noted, “She was never happier than [when] surrounded by dogs and horses and she loved people of all ages. Luckily for us that brilliant brain has left us so much to enjoy.” Broadcaster Gyles Brandreth called her “simply adorable,” and comedian Helen Lederer remembered her as a “trail blazer, wit, optimist and the giver of the greatest summer parties.”
Cooper’s legacy also includes her early romance novels—each named after a female character, such as Emily, Octavia, and Imogen—and a children’s series, Little Mabel, about a mischievous puppy. But it is The Rutshire Chronicles that will remain her defining achievement, a series that, in the words of publisher Bill Scott-Kerr, “changed the course of popular fiction forever.”
In accordance with her wishes, Cooper’s funeral will be a private family affair. However, a public service of thanksgiving will be held at Southwark Cathedral in London in the coming months to allow friends, fans, and admirers to celebrate her extraordinary life. Details of the service will be announced in due course, with her family requesting privacy as they grieve.
As the literary world reflects on her passing, it’s clear that Jilly Cooper’s irrepressible spirit, sharp wit, and boundless generosity have left an indelible mark—not just on bookshelves, but on the hearts of millions who found joy, laughter, and a little bit of mischief in her stories.
