Madeleine Wickham, better known by her pen name Sophie Kinsella, died this morning at the age of 55. just two days before her 56th birthday. She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer in 2022 and went public with her diagnosis in 2024. She leaves behind her husband Henry and their five children.
Best known for her Shopaholic series (the first two of which were adapted into a 2009 movie starring Isla Fisher), she also several stand alone novels such as Can You Keep A Secret? and The Undomestic Goddess. Under her pen name Sophie Kinsella (derived from her middle name and her mother’s maiden name), she wrote ten Shopaholic books and thirteen other novels. She published seven novels using her real name Madeleine Wickham.