Barbara Taylor Bradford, the prolific author known for her bestselling debut novel, A Woman of Substance, has died at 91.

Bradford’s death was announced in a news release by her publicist, who called her “a storyteller of substance.”

Bradford was born and raised in Leeds, England, and discovered writing at an early age, selling her first short story to a magazine at the age of 10. She left school to work at the Yorkshire Evening Post newspaper, first as a typist and then as a reporter. In 1964, she moved with her husband to New York.

In 1979, Doubleday published her debut novel, A Woman of Substance, about Emma Harte, a servant girl who becomes the head of a wildly successful international business. The novel was adapted into a miniseries starring Jenny Seagrove, Deborah Kerr, Barry Bostwick, and Liam Neeson, and spawned six more books featuring Harte and her family, including Hold the Dream, Emma’s Secret, Unexpected Blessings, and A Man of Honor. Her most recent novel, The Wonder of It All, was published in 2023.

Bradford’s admirers paid tribute to her on social media. On the platform X, author Andrew Wilson posted a photo of A Woman of Substance and wrote, “RIP Barbara Taylor Bradford, the original woman of substance. Loved reading this as a 15-year-old gay boy in a small northern town. She taught me the importance of dreaming big.”

And broadcaster Wes Butters posted, “RIP best-selling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford. I found her to be the epitome of glamour. She used to say, ‘I write about ordinary women who go on to achieve the extraordinary.’ She certainly did that herself.”

Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.