The literary world is mourning the loss of LJ Smith, the renowned author of The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle series, who passed away on March 8 at the age of 66.
According to her website, Smith succumbed to a rare autoimmune disease, which she had been battling for over a decade.
A statement on her website remembered her as "a kind and gentle soul, whose brilliance, creativity, resilience, and empathy illuminated the lives of her family, friends, and fans alike."
Smith's literary career spanned over three decades, during which she penned numerous bestselling novels, including The Vampire Diaries series, which was adapted into a hit TV show in 2009.
The show ran for eight seasons, winning 30 Teen Choice Awards and catapulting its stars, including Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder, to international fame.
In addition to The Vampire Diaries, Smith also wrote The Secret Circle trilogy, which was adapted into a TV drama in 2011.
Her other notable works include the 'Night World' series, 'Dark Visions,' and 'The Forbidden Game' trilogies.
Smith's writing career was not without its challenges. In 2011, her publishers, who owned the rights to The Vampire Diaries series, dropped her.
However, she continued to write and publish new installments of the series through Amazon's Kindle Worlds program.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
