Bestselling British-American writer Barbara Taylor Bradford, whose first novel A Woman of Substance turned her into an overnight success, has died aged 91, a spokeswoman said on Monday.

Taylor Bradford, who wrote 40 novels and notched up 91 million book sales worldwide during her career, died peacefully at her home on Sunday following a short illness.

She “was surrounded by loved ones to the very end”, the spokesperson said, adding that a private funeral would be held in New York.

A Woman of Substance, published in 1979, tells the story of servant Emma Harte who overcomes a humble start in Taylor Bradford’s native Yorkshire in northern England to head of a business empire, navigating personal tragedy along the way.

Many of her subsequent novels were also set in Yorkshire and followed a similar theme of great success against the odds, powered by grit and hard work.

Her most recent novel, The Wonder of it All, was published last year.

Born in Leeds in northern England in May 1933, Taylor Bradford began her working life as a typist for her local newspaper The Yorkshire Evening Post before becoming a reporter.

She moved to London aged 20 where she continued working as a journalist while dipping her toe into the world of fiction.

She started and abandoned several novels before striking gold with A Woman of Substance, which was an instant success when it was published in 1979.

The novel was turned into a double Emmy-nominated miniseries in 1985 and starred Liam Neeson with British actress Jenny Seagrove in the role of Emma Harte.

Seagrove paid tribute to a “dear friend” and “powerhouse of glamour and warmth”.

“Success never diluted her warmth and humour or her ability to relate to everyone she met, whether a cleaner or a princess. She never, ever forgot that she was just a girl from Yorkshire that worked hard and made good,” she said.

Charlie Redmayne, chief executive of publisher HarperCollins, described Taylor Bradford as a “truly exceptional writer”.

“A Woman of Substance changed the lives of so many who read it — and still does to this day,” he said.

“She was a natural storyteller, deeply proud of her Yorkshire roots. For 45 years, she was a huge part of our company and a great, great friend — we will miss her so much,” he added.

Taylor Bradford had lived in the United States since 1964 following her marriage the previous year to American film producer Robert Bradford.

The couple remained married for 55 years until his death in 2019.

The author, whose net worth is reputed to be more than $200 million, and who averaged nearly a book a year, was one of the world’s most popular and wealthiest writers. Her fame was so high that her image appeared on a postage stamp in 1999.

Taylor Bradford’s spokesperson said she would be buried alongside her late husband at New York’s Westchester Hills Cemetery.