Hilary Mantel, the booker-winning author of historical fiction Wolf Hall, died aged 70 on Friday. The English author’s death was confirmed by her publisher, 4th Estate Books, said in a statement.  

“We are heartbroken at the death of our beloved author, Dame Hilary Mantel, and our thoughts are with her friends and family, especially her husband, Gerald. This is a devastating loss and we can only be grateful she left us with such a magnificent body of work,”4th Estate Books tweeted. 

Also read: Wolf Hall to The Mirror and the Light: Hilary Mantel all books

Hilary Mantel was born on July 6, 1952, at Glossop in England. She was 70 years old at the time of her death. She is survived by he husband Gerald McEwen, who is a geologist by profession. 

Mantel has won the The Booker Prize twice, first for Wolf Hall in 2009 and again in 2021 for Bring Up The Bodies, the sequel in the series. In 2013, she was included in Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people. 

As an author, she reached the pinnacle of fame with her historical fiction and fellow authors from around the world have expressed their grief at her death.

Also read: Wolf Hall author Dame Hilary Mantel dies at 70

Harry Potter author, J. K . Rowling, reacted to the news by saying, “We’ve lost a genius”. 

Her husband, Gerald McEwen, gave up his profession to manage the business side of Mantel’s authorial works. Her net worth is estimated between $1 million and 5 million. 

The cause of her death is as yet unknown. Her death was first reported by her publisher, and more details are waited on it. It is also not clear if the 72-year-old author was suffering from any illnesses.

Her final book,  The Mirror and the Light, was published in 2020 and was shortlisted in The Booker Prize longlist.