L.J. Smith, the beloved author best known for her iconic series "The Vampire Diaries," has passed away at the age of 66. Smith died on March 8, 2025, in Walnut Creek, California, after a long battle with a rare autoimmune disease that she had been fighting for over a decade. Her partner, Julie Divola, and her sister, Judy Clifford, confirmed her death.
Born Lisa Jane Smith on September 4, 1958, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she moved with her family to Southern California at a young age. Smith was inspired to write by her high school English teacher, Zoe Gibbs, and she later earned a degree in experimental psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1982. After a brief stint as a kindergarten and special education teacher, she decided to pursue writing full-time.
Smith's literary career began in 1987 with the publication of her first book, "The Night of the Solstice," which sold approximately 5,000 copies. This initial success caught the attention of Alloy Entertainment, a company that specializes in packaging books for publishers. In 1990, Alloy commissioned her to write "The Vampire Diaries," which would go on to become a cultural phenomenon. The first three books in the series were published in 1991, followed by a fourth in 1992.
However, Smith was unaware that her contract with Alloy was a work-for-hire agreement, meaning she did not own the copyright or characters she created. She wrote the early books for a small advance, and as a result, she did not see significant financial benefits from the series during its initial run.
Despite these setbacks, Smith continued to write and produced several other successful young adult series, including "The Secret Circle," "The Forbidden Game," and "Dark Visions." However, her career faced challenges in the late 1990s when she experienced writer's block after a series of personal tragedies, including the death of her mother from lung cancer and her brother's diagnosis of Stage 4 melanoma, from which he eventually recovered.
In the mid-2000s, the vampire genre saw a resurgence in popularity, particularly with the success of Stephenie Meyer’s "Twilight" series. This revival led to increased sales for "The Vampire Diaries," prompting Alloy Entertainment to rehire Smith in 2007 to write a new trilogy. This time, she was entitled to half the royalties. The series eventually sold over five million copies and was adapted into a successful television series on the CW Network in 2009, which ran for eight seasons.
Despite her success, Smith faced further turmoil when she was fired by Alloy Entertainment in 2011 due to reported creative differences. The company replaced her with a ghostwriter, leading to the publication of several books under her name that she did not write. This experience left her feeling hurt and indignant, as she had poured her heart into the characters and stories that were now being altered without her consent.
In a remarkable turn of events, Smith found a way to reclaim her characters through fan fiction. In 2014, she utilized Amazon's Kindle Worlds, a platform that allowed authors to write and profit from stories based on existing intellectual properties. She published a novel and a novella that continued the storylines she had originally created, marking a unique comeback in the literary world.
Smith's dedication to her craft remained unwavering, even as she battled severe health issues. In 2015, she was hospitalized and placed on a ventilator due to an undiagnosed granulomatosis with polyangiitis, which caused significant damage to her kidneys, heart, liver, and gallbladder. Despite these challenges, her literary agent, John Silbersack, noted that she was fiercely committed to writing until the end.
Throughout her career, Smith wrote more than 29 books, including other series like "Night World" and "The Secret Circle," both of which also received television adaptations. Her works not only entertained readers but also inspired them, creating a lasting bond with her audience. Smith’s partner described her as a kind and gentle soul whose creativity and empathy illuminated the lives of her family, friends, and fans.
In the wake of her passing, fans have taken to social media to express their condolences and share memories of how Smith’s stories impacted their lives. Many have praised her for creating strong female characters and for the empathy she portrayed in her writing. One fan remarked, “Thank you for helping me turn into the strong woman I am today, by portraying strong female characters in your works.” Another shared, “Her writing and stories were where my love of books first began. No other books hold a higher place in my heart than hers do.”
Smith’s legacy as a pioneer in supernatural fiction and her contributions to young adult literature will not be forgotten. As her obituary poignantly stated, “Nothing really dies as long as it’s not forgotten.” L.J. Smith is survived by her partner, Julie Divola, her sister, Judy Clifford, and several nieces and nephews.
