Sophie Kinsella, the author of “Confessions of a Shopaholic” and a series of millions-selling sequels, has died, her family said on social media.
Kinsella, whose real name was Madeleine Wickham, had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in late 2022. She announced the diagnosis in April 2024. She said at the time that she delayed the announcement to let her children adjust to their new normal. Kinsella also said that she underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy to treat the disease.
“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,” Kinsella’s family wrote on Instagram. “We can’t imagine what life will be like without her radiance and love of life.”
Kinsella published 10 “Shopaholic” novels, beginning with “Confessions of a Shopaholic” in 2000. The first two “Shopaholic” books were adapted into the 2009 film “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” starring Isla Fisher.
Her 2024 novella “What Does It Feel Like?” was a semi-fictional account of her cancer diagnosis, according to CBS News partner BBC News. In an introduction to the book, Kinsella said she had “always processed my life through writing.”
“Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe,” Kinsella wrote, according to the BBC.
Stefania D’Alessandro / Getty Images 
Kinsella also published books, including her debut novel, under her real name. In total, she wrote 28 books including 10 “Shopaholic” novels, one young adult novel and four children’s books, according to the BBC. Her books have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide and have been translated into dozens of languages.
“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,” her family said on social media. “She took nothing for granted and was forever grateful for the love she received.”
Kinsella is survived by her husband Henry Wickham, who she married in 1991, and their five children.
In 2014, Kinsella told “CBS Mornings” how reader responses fueled her writing.
“You’re sitting alone in your room and you’re tapping away and you hope people enjoy your book and then off it goes,” she said. “But then you get somebody who says, ‘Well, you know what? I’ve read your book in the middle of the night when I was recovering from operation and it got me through.’ I mean how can you do anything better in life than that?”
