Author Kinsella remembered as ‘once in a lifetime author and friend’

Kinsella, who has died at age 55, had a special talent for characters who persevered through the most embarrassing mishaps - often of their own making. Photo: AP

Bestselling English author Sophie Kinsella has died after being diagnosed with a form of aggressive brain cancer.

Tributes were paid to the 55-year-old, who was best known for her Shopaholic series, with a statement from her family saying she "died peacefully, with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy.”