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By Olivia Bellusci
Contributing Entertainment Writer
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Lisa Jane Smith "L.J. Smith," the author of the Vampire Diaries book series, died on Saturday, March 8, at 66 years old in Walnut Creek, California.
Smith's partner, Julie Divola, as well as her sister, Judy Clifford, told the New York Times she "died in a hospital after enduring the cascading effects of a rare autoimmune disease for a decade."
Smith, who resided in Danville, California, authored over 29 books during her writing career and found success in the young-adult fiction genre.
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The New York Times bestselling author released the first three books in the Vampire Diaries series in 1991: The Awakening, The Struggle, and The Fury. The fourth book, Dark Reunion, came out in 1992. Smith was hired by Alloy Entertainment — a former book packaging and production company — to write the series which was published by HarperCollins. The story follows high school student Elena Gilbert and her relationship with brothers Damon and Stefan Salvatore — both vampires.
In 2009, the books were adapted into a teen drama series, The Vampire Diaries, which aired on The CW. Nina Dobrev starred as Elena Gilbert, while Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder portrayed the Salvatore brothers. The supernatural show became a major success and ran for eight seasons, concluding in 2017 and resulting in two spin-off series: The Originals and Legacies.
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A statement on her website read, "Lisa was a kind and gentle soul, whose brilliance, creativity, resilience and empathy, illuminated the lives of her family, friends and fans alike. She will be remembered for her imaginative spirit, her pioneering role in supernatural fiction, and her generosity, warmth and heart, both on and off the page."
The novelist's former agent, John Silbersack, told the New York Times she was still writing in her final days.
"She had been quite ill, but despite the difficulties and the pain, she was fiercely dedicated to continuing to write," Silbersack told the publication. "She wanted to get it right, to be quite perfect."
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