Jilly Cooper, the British author of novels such as Rivals and Riders, has died aged 88, her agent Curtis Brown said in a statement on Monday (October 6, 2025).

Cooper found huge commercial success in the 1980s with her raunchy novels which followed the romantic adventures of upper-class characters such as show jumper Rupert Campbell-Black.

Rivals found a new generation of fans when it was made into a series for Disney+ in 2024.

“The privilege of my career has been working with a woman who has defined culture, writing and conversation since she was first published over fifty years ago,” her agent, Felicity Blunt, said in a statement.

“Jilly will undoubtedly be best remembered for her chart-topping series The Rutshire Chronicles and its havoc-making and handsome show-jumping hero Rupert Campbell-Black.”

Cooper’s many fans included former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said the books offered “escapism.”