Aussie actress Isla Fisher is leading tributes to Confessions of a Shopaholic author Sophie Kinsella, whose death was announced overnight. She was 55.
The British writer had been battling an aggressive form of brain cancer since 2022.
Kinsella's family announced the news of her death on her Instagram account, writing, "We are heartbroken to announce the passing this morning of our beloved Sophie (aka Maddy, aka Mummy).
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"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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Fisher, who starred in the 2009 film version of her book, Confessions of a Shopaholic, this morning led tributes to the author on her Instagram Story and said her "heart is broken" at the loss of her hero.
She shared a photo of herself with Kinsella and famed Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer at the UK premiere of the film back in 2009.
"Dear Sophie, You conjured Rebecca Bloomwood, a hilarious flawed dream of a character – and I was lucky enough to step into her shoes and speak your witty and brilliant words," she wrote.
"My daughters grew up being read your books and love them to this day.
"My heart is broken. You are still my hero and I'm grateful for you.
"And though we won't meet again, your light and magic lives on in your incredible characters."
Fisher also shared a second image featuring the poster for the film over which she wrote "I'm so heartbroken that you're gone".
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Kinsella was born Madeleine Sophie Townley in London on December 12, 1969.
After school, she attended Oxford New College, part of Oxford University.
There she met Henry Wickham, whom she married in 1991.
At 24, she wrote her first novel, The Tennis Party, which was released in 1995 under her married name, Madeleine Wickham.
It became a top 10 bestseller and was a critical success.
She published six more novels under that name between 1997 and 2001 before deciding to change track.
She wrote The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic, which later became Confessions of a Shopaholic, under the pseudonym Sophie Kinsella, which was a combination of her middle name and her mother's maiden name.
During a 2017 interview with Good Reads, she said she had "always written what I see around me".
"When I started writing Shopaholic, it was because I saw everybody shopping too much, including myself," she said.
"I've always had radar, whether it's workaholism, whatever the topic is, and I've been fascinated by the explosion of social media."
It sparked a series of books under the Shopaholic name. She only revealed her identity after the publication of Can You Keep a Secret? in 2003.
Hollywood later came calling, with the first two books in the series adapted for the big screen.
Confessions of a Shopaholic was released in February 2009.
Kinsella wrote more than 20 books in all, which sold more than 50 million copies in 60 countries.
In 2024, she revealed on Facebook that she had been battling an aggressive form of brain cancer for the past two years.
"At the end of 2022 I was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a form of aggressive brain cancer," she wrote.
"I did not share this before because I wanted to make sure that my children were able to hear and process the news in privacy and adapt to our 'new normal'."
She wrote that she was under the care of an "excellent team" in London and had undergone "successful surgery and subsequent radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which is still ongoing".
She said that while she was stable and "generally very well", she often felt very tired and joked that her "memory is even worse than it was before".
"I am so grateful to my family and close friends who have been an incredible support to me, and to the wonderful doctors and nurses who have treated me."
She concluded the post by sending love and best wishes to everyone suffering from cancer.
"It can feel very lonely and scary to have a tough diagnosis, and the support and care of those around you means more than words can say," she wrote.
Kinsella leaves behind her husband and five children.
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