Barbara Taylor Bradford, the bestselling writer whose 1979 novel “A Girl of Substance” bought 30 million copies worldwide and was tailored right into a profitable Channel 4 miniseries, died on Sunday. She was 91.

Taylor Bradford’s loss of life was confirmed to the Related Press by a spokesperson, who stated she died at her dwelling in New York Metropolis. No explanation for loss of life was offered.

Born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England on Might 10, 1933, Taylor Bradford started her profession as a journalist earlier than starting to pen novels in her 40s, usually revolving round younger ladies making a reputation for themselves in enterprise after overcoming obstacles. In complete, she wrote 40 books, all of which turned bestsellers in the UK and United States.

“A Girl of Substance” marked Taylor Bradford’s debut novel in 1979, and likewise her most profitable. It bought over 30 million copies worldwide and was tailored right into a three-part Channel 4 miniseries in 1984 starring Jenny Seagrove, Deborah Kerr, Barry Bostwick and Liam Neeson. Spanning the twentieth century, the story follows Emma Harte, who goes from a teenage servant in Yorkshire to a retail magnate and is confronted with deciding who ought to keep on her legacy. Airing over three nights, the ultimate a part of the collection scored 13.8 million viewers for Channel 4, which stays its highest ever viewers. It additionally aired within the U.S. and was nominated on the 1985 Emmys for excellent restricted collection and supporting actress for Kerr.

The unique guide turned the eight-part Emma Harte saga, with sequels together with “Maintain the Dream” (1985) and “To Be the Greatest” (1988), each of which had been additionally tailored for tv. Taylor Bradford went on to pen different guide collection just like the Ravenscar Trilogy (2006-2008), the Cavendon Chronicles (2014-2017) and the Home of Falconer (2018-2023). She additionally wrote a dozen non-fiction works, together with on etiquette, homemaking and kids’s books about Christianity.

She married movie producer Robert E. Bradford in 1963, who would finally produce the display screen diversifications of her novels, and the 2 moved to the USA. Taylor Bradford turned a U.S. citizen in 1992. In 2007, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.

Taylor Bradford was preceded in loss of life by her husband, who died in 2019.