Sophie Kinsella, the author of the “Shopaholic” book series adapted for the big screen, passed away on Wednesday morning at the age of 55.
The announcement was made by her family on social media, where they wrote: “We are heartbroken to announce the death of our beloved Sophie (also known as Maddy and Mum) this morning.”
“She passed away peacefully, with her final days filled with her true loves: family, music, tenderness, Christmas, and joy,” they continued in the same post. “We cannot imagine how life will be without her sparkle and love for life,” they added.
“Despite her illness, which she bore with unimaginable courage, Sophie considered herself truly blessed—to have such family and friends and to have achieved extraordinary success in her writing career. She took nothing for granted and was eternally grateful for the love she received.”
The writer, whose real name is Madeleine Sophie Wickham, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a type of malignant brain tumor, in 2022, but only shared the diagnosis with the public two years later, in 2024.
Sophie’s publisher also reacted to the writer’s death in a statement cited by the BBC, stating that Kinsella “defined and elevated romantic comedy by popularizing her stories with real-world issues, combining wit, emotional depth, and social insight.”
“Maddy leaves behind a glorious and indelible legacy, a unique voice, an insatiable spirit, a kindness of intentions, and works that continue to inspire us to aim higher and be better, just like many of her characters,” said the author’s longtime editor, Bill Scott-Kerr.
The writer’s agents, Araminta Whitley and Marina de Pass, described Sophie as a “intelligent, creative, tender, and irreverent woman who valued the deeply connecting power of fiction.”
“She had a rare gift for creating emotionally captivating protagonists and stories that touched and entertained readers, regardless of where they were in the world and the challenges they faced,” they added.
Sophie was born in London, England, in 1969 and initially studied music in college before switching her focus to philosophy, politics, and economics.
Her first novel was published in 1995 when she was just 24 years old and working as a financial journalist, titled “The Tennis Party.” At that time, she wrote under the name Madeleine Wickham.
“My main concern was not to write an autobiographical first novel,” she told the Guardian in 2012. “I was very, very determined not to write about a 24-year-old journalist. I had to have male characters and middle-aged people, so I could say: ‘Look, I’m not just writing about my life, I’m a real writer.’
The book was critically acclaimed and became a bestseller, reaching the top 10. Under the name Madeleine Wickham, she released six more books before switching to the pen name that became more widely known, Sophie Kinsella. The first book released under this name became her biggest success: “The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic” or “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” which was translated into Portuguese as “Louca por Compras.”
The series became a success, even resulting in a film that adapted the first two books of the series in 2009. The protagonist, Becky Bloomwood, was portrayed by Isla Fisher.
Sophie Kinsella in 2018© David Levenson/Getty Images
