Sophie Kinsella death: Tributes paid to ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ Confessions of a Shopaholic author
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Moving tributes have been paid to “once-in-a-lifetime” Shopaholic author Sophie Kinsella, who died aged 55.
Madeleine Sophie Wickham, who wrote under the pen name Sophie Kinsella, announced in April 2024 that she had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer in 2022.
Her books have sold around 45 million copies in more than 60 countries around the world, and have been translated into more than 40 languages and adapted for film and theatre.
Kinsella’s family confirmed in the news in a statement shared to her Instagram account.
It read: “We are heartbroken to announce the passing this morning of our beloved Sophie (aka Maddy, aka Mummy). She died peacefully, with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy.
“We can’t imagine what life will be like without her radiance and love of life.
“Despite her illness, which she bore with unimaginable courage, Sophie counted herself truly blessed – to have such wonderful family and friends, and to have had the extraordinary success of her writing career. She took nothing for granted and was forever grateful for the love she received.
“She will be missed so much our hearts are breaking.”
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Kinsella, best known for her bestselling Shopaholic novels, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in 2022 (PA Wire)
Since her death was announced on Wednesday, many figures shared their own tributes.
Bill Scott-Kerr, publisher at Transworld, the publishing home of author Sophie Kinsella for the past 30 years, said: “She has been such an unshakeable pillar of our publishing at Transworld for so many years that the thought of a year without a Sophie Kinsella to publish is inconceivable.”
He added: “Maddy leaves behind a glorious and indelible legacy: a unique voice, an unquenchable spirit, a goodness of intent and a body of work that will continue to inspire us to reach higher and be better, just like so many of her characters.
“On a personal level Maddy was the embodiment of joy, an extraordinarily clever, funny, sassy, impish, kind and generous collaborator who brought light into our lives. She was as part of this company as anyone, and we will all truly miss her.”
Glioblastomas are the deadliest and most aggressive type of brain cancer. Around 3,200 people are diagnosed with a glioblastoma every year in the UK. Of these, just 160 survive for five years or more.
Dr Michele Afif, chief executive of the Brain Tumour Charity where Kinsella was an ambassador, said: “Sophie was a courageous advocate and, with her family and friends, tireless supporter of our work.
“She did so much to raise vital awareness of brain tumours and the urgent need for more research to find better treatments. We are privileged to have known her and her wonderful family.
“She was adored by so many. Her books and her wonderful energy will remain an inspiration to us all. Our hearts go out to her family, friends and fans worldwide.”
Araminta Whitley and Marina de Pass, Sophie Kinsella’s agents at The Soho Agency, said: “Maddy was a once-in-a-lifetime author and friend, and it has been the privilege of our working lives to represent her since the beginning of her career.
“Over the last three decades, her success has been truly international: she published 34 novels across adult, YA (young adult) and children’s publishing that have topped charts around the world, breaking records and defying expectations. Yet reaching higher heights wasn’t what drove her.
“Maddy was an intelligent, imaginative, loving and irreverent woman who valued the deeply connective power of fiction. She had a rare gift for creating emotionally resonant protagonists and stories that spoke to, and entertained, readers wherever they were in the world and whatever challenges they faced.
“She also had an unmatched wit and ability to find the funny side. Comedy, for her, was both an art form and an intellectual pursuit and she instinctively understood that it is often a tightrope act of balancing light with dark.”
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Sophie Kinsella’s books have sold around 45 million copies in more than 60 countries around the world, and have been translated into more than 40 languages and adapted for film and theatre (Getty Images)
The first two works in her hit eight-book Shopaholic series, The Secret Dreamworld Of A Shopaholic and Shopaholic Abroad, were adapted into the 2009 film Confessions Of A Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher.
The 2003 novel Can You Keep A Secret? was also adapted for a film of the same name starring Alexandra Daddario and Tyler Hoechlin.
Kinsella described her last novel, What Does It Feel Like?, which was published in 2024, as her “most autobiographical to date” and said she “always processed my life through writing”.
In October 2024, Kinsella spoke to Lorraine Kelly how she was left unable to hold a pen after undergoing a gruelling eight-hour surgery to remove a brain tumour.
She said: “I lay in hospital and I couldn’t think straight, I couldn’t walk, and I couldn’t hold a pen.
“I practiced signing Sophie Kinsella and it was an absolute mess.
“I got my phone and put it on dictate function and said what happened so I could remember it.”
