'Woman of Substance' novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford dies

British-American author Barbara Taylor Bradford who authored A Woman of Substance among other bestselling novels died at the age of 91, her publisher Harper Collins confirmed on Monday.

Bradford passed away yesterday after a short illness, they said.

The publisher's CEO, Charlie Redmayne, described her as a "truly exceptional writer whose first book, the international bestseller A Woman of Substance, changed the lives of so many who read it - and still does to this day."

The book was published first in 1979 and later adapted into a successful drama series.

The TV adaptation of A Woman of Substance starring Jenny Seagrove and Liam Neeson became a global hit and secured two Emmy awards nominations.

"With the deepest and heartfelt sadness, it is confirmed that international bestselling author Barbara Taylor Bradford OBE has died," a statement read.

She died "peacefully at her home November 24, 2024, following a short illness, and was surrounded by loved ones to the very end," the statement read.

Barbara wrote a total of 40 novels during her "phenomenal career", all of which "became worldwide bestsellers", her publisher said adding that her most recent book was The Wonder of It All that hit the stores on November 2023.

Born and raised in Leeds, in the UK, Barbara started writing fiction when she was seven years old and sold her first short story to a magazine for seven shillings and sixpence when she was 10 years old.

She left school aged 15 for the typing pool at the Yorkshire Evening Post. A year later, she became a reporter on the paper and, aged 18, its first woman's editor. Aged 20, she moved to London and became a columnist and editor on Fleet Street.

In 1961, she met and fell in love with German-born Hollywood film and television producer Robert Bradford whom she married in in London on Christmas Eve, 1963, moved to New York in 1964, and remained together for 55 years until he died in July 2019.

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