British author Jilly Cooper, known for her unapologetically racy novels, has died at the age of 88, her agent and family said on Monday.

UK media reported that the writer, who penned the series of romantic novels known as The Rutshire Chronicles, died after a fall on Sunday.

“I have lost a friend, an ally, a confidante and a mentor. But I know she will live forever in the words she put on the page and on the screen,” Cooper’s publicist Felicity Blunt said.

The BBC and other outlets reported that Cooper had suffered a fall on Sunday morning.

Cooper’s children, Felix and Emily, said their mother’s “unexpected death has come as a complete shock”.

“We are so proud of everything she achieved in her life and can’t begin to imagine life without her infectious smile and laughter all around us

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