Lisa Jane Smith, author of the hit supernatural series The Vampire Diaries, has died aged 66.
The American writer, known as LJ Smith, created the stories of the warring vampire brothers which were turned into a popular show of the same name starring Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, and Paul Wesley.
A statement on her website said she died “peacefully” on March 8 after a “long bout” of illness.
It added: “Lisa was a kind and gentle soul whose brilliance, creativity, resilience and empathy illuminated the lives of her family, friends and fans alike.
“She will be remembered for her imaginative spirit, her pioneering role in supernatural fiction, and her generosity, warmth and heart, both on and off the page.”
Born on September 4, 1958 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she grew up in the Southern California town of Villa Park.
Smith, from Danville, California, authored other series including Night World books, The Forbidden Game trilogies, and the Wildworld series.
Her first novel, The Night Of The Solstice, was published in 1987, before the then teacher was asked to write The Vampire Diaries volumes by a book packager.
She wrote further books in the series from the 1990s to the 2010s, before her contract was ended and ghostwriter Aubrey Clark took over.
Smith told Salt Lake Magazine in 2012 that she gave up her rights on the series, “including the right to continue writing”, under the contract she had with the company.
She said the company told her that her “services were no longer required” because “they wanted shorter books that were promoting the television series”.
Smith later put out fan fiction about the novels through Amazon’s Kindle books.
The Vampire Diaries ended in 2017, after eight seasons which mainly saw Stefan (Wesley) and Damon (Somerhalder) Salvatore compete for the love of the human Elena Gilbert (Dobrev).
It spawned spin-off shows The Originals, and Legacies, which aired in the US on The CW network.
The statement on Smith’s website also said: “She is survived by her devoted long-time friend, Julie Divola, her beloved younger sister, Judy Clifford, Judy’s children, Lauren Clifford and Brian Clifford, Brian’s wife, Taylor Acampora, and Lauren’s son, Wyatt Nicholson.”
