Ruth Rendell, one of Britain's best-loved and most admired authors, who delighted fans for decades with her dark, intricately plotted crime novels, has died at the age of 85, reports The Guardian.
"It is with great sadness that the family of author Ruth Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, CBE, announce that she passed away in London at 8 am on Saturday May 2, aged 85. The family have requested privacy at this time," Rendell's publisher, Hutchinson, announced.
It was also reported that Rendell had been admitted to the hospotal in January due to a serious stroke.
Rendell has written over 60 novels, the most famous of which is the much-loved Inspector Wexford crime series. She also wrote darker and more psychological thrillers using the pen-name Barbara Vine.
The novelist has been a pillar of Britain's crime writing scene for decades and has won nearly every crime writing award, including the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger for "sustained excellence in crime writing."
Her works have been adapted for cinema and TV and have been translated in over 20 languages, reaching a 60 million sales record, according to BBC News.
The first Wexford book, "From Doon with Death," was published in 1964 and soon evolved into a series that also became a TV show starring George Baker as Reginald Wexford, the lead role.
She had published "The Girl Next Door" last year and has another, called "Dark Corners," set to be published in October.
