Children’s author Jill Murphy has died at the age of 72 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
The author, who was most known for her best selling books The Worst Witch, sadly passed away at her family home in Cornwall with her son Charlie and niece Isabelle by her side.
Her son announced the news with a touching tribute to his talented mother, which read: “I feel beyond lucky to have had a mum like mine and it’s impossible to summarise the ways her absence will be felt.
“She had a depth of character, a warmth and a life force like no other. I miss her so much already.”
Her incredible books have become a children’s classic and can be found on the shelves in most family homes with her series of eight illustrated stories.
The tale followed the life of Mildred Hubble as she attended Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches which she first started writing at the age of 15, with many of her own experiences weaved throughout her joyful books.
Her stories were such a hit with readers that the popular franchise was quickly turned into a TV show which ran from 1998 to 2001 portrayed by Rogue One star Felicity Jones and the late Sherlock star Una Stubbs.
Murphy is also recognised for her picture book series, including most notably the Large Family series which follows a elephant family through their domestic chaos.
The talented author first found her passion for writing and drawing at the young age of six as she grew up in the centre of London.
The star went on to attend The Ursuline High School in Wimbledon which heavily inspired the depiction for Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches.
Following her love for the creative arts, the world-renowned author went on to study at Chelsea and Croydon Art Schools before she moved to Africa for a year where she worked on her break-through book.
Like many authors, when Murphy returned to the UK her legendary children’s book The Worst Witch was rejected by countless publishing houses and she found herself working as a nanny for some time before her work was picked up.
Her book was eventually published by Allison and Busby and was an instant hit with readers which sold out less than two months after it hit the shelves in 1974.
(Image: Walter Books)
After her wave of success following her sequel The Worst Witch Strikes Again, Murphy quit her job as a nanny to pursue her career as an established author full time.
But despite her impressive catalogue of work behind her, the star also struggled with cancer throughout her writing years.
In 2017, the author first opened up about her battle with breast cancer while she was undergoing chemotherapy, in which she revealed she had also battled with the disease 20 years earlier when she discovered a lump before her final checkup.
Luckily the Londoner managed to complete her final instalment of The Worst Witch books despite her horrific illness, when she published her last book titled First Prize for The Worst Witch in 2018.
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Speaking about her diagnosis at the time, she admitted: “As anyone who has had this treatment known, if you’ve had it you get something called chemo brain, it’s almost as though your mind id only trying to process what you need, so you don’t remember things properly.
“You can’t even quite remember a sentence construction, but i don’t want to write anything that’s not good.”
The author’s family was soon flooded with emotional tribute to her loved ones during this difficult time.
Pamela Todd, who was Murphy’s close friend and agent for more than 30 years, added: “It’s a sad day for children’s books. Jill was so creative, beautiful and funny.
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“Her genius lay in the way both the child and the adult could identify with her stories, which she wrote and illustrated herself.
“Children who grew up on Peace At, Whatever Next! and The Large Family are now buying the books for their children’s children.
“The little girls who created playground games and around Mildred Hubble and her classmates are now directing, producing and acting in the television series of The Worst Witch and the stage show, which last year took the Olivier award.
“Jill was just coming into her prime and had so much more to offer. This is a great loss, not least to me personally, but we are comforted that she leaves an amazing legacy of books for generations to come.”
Belinda Ioni Rsmussen, the managing director of Macmillan Children’s Books, chimed in with: “It has been a privilege to publish Jill at Macmillan Children’s Books for more than 40 years.
She had an unparalleled talent for story-telling through words and pictures and, without doubt, her picture books have become timeless children’s classics.
“When she drew the Bear Family again for her latest book last year, it was as though they had never left her.
“The characters were the same, but undeniably contemporary and relevant, and ready to enchant new readers.
“Jill was funny, warm and kind and she was friends with many of us. She leaves a big hole in our hearts at Macmillan Children’s Books and will be missed very much, not least by me.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
