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Bestselling author Jackie Collins has passed away from breast cancer at the age of 77.
“It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the death of our beautiful, dynamic and one of a kind mother, Jackie Collins, who died of breast cancer today,” a statement read.
“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.”
Jackie led a glamourous life as a colourful storyteller. The younger sister of Joan Collins, Jackie was born in London in 1937. She had a wild childhood that included being expelled from school at 15 and reportedly having a brief fling with Marlon Brando. She dabbled in acting as a young woman, with several small parts in television series and movies. However, she focused on becoming a novellist in 1968 following the success of her first book The World is Full of Married Men. She went on to become a prolific writer, penning 32 novels that sold more than 500 million copies. Her works have been translated into over 40 languages and frequently featured on the New York Times bestsellers list.
Jackie married her first husband, Wallace Austin in 1960. They had one child, Tracy, now 54, before they divorced in 1964. Jackie then married art gallery and nightclub owner Oscar Lerman in 1965. The couple had two daughters, Tiffany, now 48, and Rory, now 46. Jackie was widowed in 1992. She became engaged to Frank Calcagnini in 1994, however he died in 1998 from a brain tumour.
Jackie died on September 19, 2015. We remember her with some of her most memorable quotes.
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“When I think back on my life, there will be some stories to tell.”
“I’m a high school dropout who eavesdrops.”
“I really fall in love with my characters, even the bad ones. I love getting together with them. They tell me what to do; they take me on a wild and wonderful trip.”
“Whatever you have a passion for, then you must do. If you want to write, write about something you know about.”
“The biggest critics of my books are people who never read them.”
“I write about the American dream: if you set your mind to do something, you can do it.”
“I have written 20 books, and each one is like having a baby. Writing is not easy; some people want to write books but just can’t put a story together. I can put together a story that interests both me and my readers.”
“My weakness is wearing too much leopard print.”
“I think I’m a born storyteller. Inspiration is all around me. I can read a newspaper article and come up with an idea for a book.”
“I never pretended to be a literary writer.”
“I don’t want to stop writing until I run out of stories. And I’ll never run out of stories.”
“On my tombstone, I want to have the words: ‘She gave a lot of people a lot of pleasure’.”
