Barbara Taylor Bradford, Best-Selling Author of “A Woman of Substance”, Dies at 91

The beloved author died following a short illness on Nov. 24, her representatives confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement

The best-selling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford has died. She was 91. 

The British-American author died “peacefully at her home” following a short illness on Sunday, Nov. 24, PEOPLE can confirm. 

Bradford’s representatives said in a statement to PEOPLE: “With the deepest and heartfelt sadness, it is confirmed that Barbara Taylor Bradford OBE has died. Barbara, 91, died peacefully at her home yesterday following a short illness, and was surrounded by loved ones to the very end.”

The writer leaves behind a legacy of work as one the world’s most prolific writers, having sold over 91 million copies of her books and written 40 best-selling novels including Three Weeks in Paris (2002), To Be the Best (1988), and her most recent title The Wonder of It All (November 2023). 

The beloved writer was born and raised in Leeds, England in May 1933. She sold her first short story to a magazine at age 10 and left school at age 15 to embark on her writing career as she joined the U.K. newspaper the Yorkshire Evening Post.

Bradford became a reporter on the regional outlet a year later and its first woman's editor by age 18. At age 20, she moved to London and worked as a columnist and editor on the British national newspapers. 

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In 1979, Bradford published her debut novel A Woman of Substance, which became her first bestseller and remained on the New York Times’ list for 43 weeks. 

The novel was adapted into the Emmy-nominated television series of the same title in 1985, starring Jenny Seagrove and Liam Neeson, by Bradford's husband and Hollywood producer, Robert Bradford. He also adapted nine other books of Bradford's into drama series. Robert died at age 90 in July 2019. 

Seagrove, 67, said in tribute to Bradford, “We saw each other whenever she and her beloved Bob were in London … and talked about everything under the sun. She never changed. Success never diluted her warmth and humor or her ability to relate to everyone she met … She never, ever forgot that she was just a girl from Yorkshire that worked hard and made food. RIP dear friend.”

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Bradford was an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust in the U.K. and a member of the Board of Literacy Partners in the U.S. for six years. She received five Honorary Doctorates of Letters from several institutions across the U.K., New York and the wider U.S. in her career.

The celebrated author was awarded an OBE for her services to literature by Queen Elizabeth II in 2007. 

Bradford's long-term publisher at HarperCollins, Lynne Drew, said in a statement, "Working with a storyteller as remarkable as Barbara for over 20 years was a huge privilege but also a huge amount of fun … She was an inspiration for millions of readers and countless writers … working with her has been one of the great thrills of my career, and I and everyone at HarperCollins will miss her greatly.”

A private funeral for Bradford will be held at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue. She will be buried alongside her husband at Westchester Hills Cemetery in New York.