LONDON  -  Author Barbara Taylor Bradford, known for best-selling novels including A Woman of Substance, has died at the age of 91. Published in 1979, A Woman of Substance sold 30 million copies and spawned seven sequels and a TV adaptation, which is still the most-watched programme in Channel 4’s history. It was the first of 40 novels by Taylor Bradford; others include the Ravenscar, Cavendon and the House of Falconer series. Paying tribute, her publisher and editor Lynne Drew said: “Dominating the bestseller lists, she broke new ground with her sweeping epic novels spanning generations, novels which were resolutely not romances, and she epitomised the woman of substance she created, particularly with her ruthless work ethic.”  The author was “perennially curious, interested in everyone and extraordinarily driven”, Drew said, and was “an inspiration for millions of readers and countless writers”.

Charlie Redmayne, chief executive of publisher HarperCollins, said: “Barbara Taylor Bradford was a truly exceptional writer whose first book, the international bestseller A Woman of Substance, changed the lives of so many who read it - and still does to this day.”

She was “a natural storyteller” as well as “a great, great friend”, he added.

A Woman of Substance was the rags-to-riches tale of Emma Harte, a young woman who goes from a being a maid to building and running a major department store.

The mini-series was watched by almost 14 million people on Channel 4 in 1985 and was nominated for two Emmy Awards. Emma was played by Jenny Seagrove, who paid tribute to the author as a “dear friend”. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s World at One, Seagrove recalled being a young and nervous actress when she first met Taylor Bradford.  “I met Barbara at a screening [of A Woman of Substance] and she just walked up to me and she hugged me and said: ‘Oh, you are my Emma.’

“That was all I needed. I burst into tears.”  She added that the book was semi-autobiographical and “you could feel the truth in it”. Taylor Bradford had a huge impact on women, Seagrove said. “We’d go on publicity tours... and women would come up to me randomly... and say ‘You changed my life’ because Emma Harte had changed their life in some way, [like] to start a business. It literally changed women’s lives.” The actress said she went to the US for Taylor Bradford’s 90th birthday celebrations last year.

“Even though she was ill, she put on her finery and was piped in by a bagpiper. She just never changed. She was always curious, always kind, always championing women and always giving and sharing. “She championed women before it was fashionable, and that’s a great legacy,” Seagrove added.

A statement from Taylor Bradford’s representative on Monday said she “died peacefully at her home yesterday (24 November 2024) following a short illness, and was surrounded by loved ones to the very end”.