Novelist Jackie Collins Dies: Hollywood Reacts

Jackie Collins, a novelist best known for her racy and glamorous Hollywood novels, passed away this weekend at age 77. The author was suffering secretly with breast cancer.

According to the Guardian, Jackie Collins had been battling breast cancer secretly for the past six years. Only those in her close family knew about her illness until the time of her death.

Jackie Collins’ most notable work was her Hollywood Wives novel, so it only seems fitting that celebrities of Hollywood have been responding to news of her death.

Among the celebrities who tweeted about her death were Kris Jenner and Elizabeth Hurley.

I’m so sad to hear about the passing of Jackie Collins..my love and prayers go out to her family and… https://t.co/Lfe6naWFZo

— Kris Jenner (@KrisJenner) September 20, 2015

Horribly sad news about Jackie Collins. She was a lovely, very special woman. RIP.

— Elizabeth Hurley (@ElizabethHurley) September 20, 2015

Sharon Osbourne also tweeted, “Shocked & devastated at the death of @JackiejCollins. Loved & respected her. Thoughts & prayers go out to her family.”

Collins’ publicist announced the news of her death on Saturday, and her family issued the following statement.

“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.”

Collins’ debut novel, The World is Full of Married Men, was met with controversy and was even banned in Australia after being deemed too racy. The book tells the story of a woman who cheats on her husband and likes to have affairs with married men. Collins’ later acknowledged that the book was “before it’s time.”

The novelist was never ashamed to write about sex. Collins said, “I think I’ve helped people’s sex lives. Sex is a driving force in the world so I don’t think it’s unusual that I write about sex. I try to make it erotic, too.”

Jackie Collins is survived by her three daughters, six grandchildren, a brother, and a sister. Her sister, Joan Collins, is an actress and she only found out about her sister’s cancer recently. Understandably, she was devastated.

The novelist recently did one final interview with People Magazine on September 14 in her Beverly Hills Home. The article has yet to be published.

[Photo credit: Jackie Collins / Personal Website]