Delia Fiallo, 'Mother of the Telenovela', dead at 96

Delia Fiallo was one of the most celebrated writers in the romance genre, having penned 43 telenovelas. Photo: AP

Delia Fiallo, an author and screenwriter known as the "mother of the Latin American telenovela", has died, according to the Associated Press. She was 96.

Fiallo's caregiver told the AP that she died Tuesday (June 29) at her home in Coral Gables, Florida, just five days before her 97th birthday. A cause of death was not given, but the caregiver said that the writer was surrounded by her children.