Barbara Taylor Bradford, the acclaimed British-American author best known for her bestselling novel A Woman of Substance, has passed away at the age of 91.
A representative confirmed that Bradford died peacefully at her home on Sunday, following a brief illness, surrounded by family and loved ones.
Born in Leeds, Yorkshire, in May 1933, Bradford began her career at the age of 15 as a typist at The Yorkshire Evening Post, later becoming a reporter. At 20, she moved to London, where she worked as a journalist while also exploring fiction. Her breakthrough came in 1979 with the publication of A Woman of Substance, the story of Emma Harte, a servant who rises to become a powerful business magnate. The novel spent 45 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and sold over 30 million copies worldwide.
This success marked the beginning of a remarkable literary career, with Bradford going on to publish 40 novels and sell over 91 million books globally. Known for her rags-to-riches stories, often set in her native Yorkshire, she described her heroines as embodiments of her own inner strength and resilience.
A Woman of Substance was adapted into an Emmy-nominated miniseries in 1985, starring Jenny Seagrove and Liam Neeson. Seagrove hailed Bradford as a “powerhouse of glamour and warmth,” noting her grounded and approachable nature despite her success.
In 2007, Bradford received an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. She married American film producer Robert Bradford in 1963, and the couple shared 55 years together until his death in 2019.
Her final novel, The Wonder of It All, was published in 2023. Bradford will be laid to rest beside her late husband at Westchester Hills Cemetery in New York.
HarperCollins CEO Charlie Redmayne described her as a “truly exceptional writer,” whose stories continue to inspire readers worldwide.
A private funeral will be held in New York to honor her remarkable life and literary legacy.