The young-adult fiction style misplaced a gem.
Beloved creator L.J. Smith, greatest recognized for The Vampire Diaries, has handed away at age 66.
“Lisa Jane Smith of Danville, California handed away peacefully on Saturday, March 8, 2025, after a protracted bout with sickness,” an obituary on her web site confirmed.
“Recognized to her readers as L.J. Smith, Lisa was a New York Instances bestselling creator of young-adult fiction.”
Whereas the official reason for dying was not disclosed, Smith had confronted severe well being challenges prior to now.
In 2015, she was hospitalized for 2 months and positioned on a ventilator attributable to an undiagnosed battle with granulomatosis with polyangiitis, a uncommon autoimmune illness that brought about extreme injury to her kidneys, coronary heart, liver, and gallbladder.
It stays unclear if her passing was associated to those prior well being issues.
Smith’s influence on the literary world is plain.
She wrote over 29 books, together with The Vampire Diaries, which later grew to become a success TV sequence starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder. Her different works embody Evening World, The Secret Circle—which additionally noticed a short CW adaptation—Darkish Visions, and The Forbidden Recreation.
“Her novels not solely entertained, but in addition supplied solace and inspiration, making her a cherished companion to readers world wide,” her obituary acknowledged.
Smith is survived by her longtime companion, Julie Divola, her sister Judy Clifford, niece Lauren Clifford, nephew Brian Clifford, Brian’s spouse Taylor Acampora, and Lauren’s son, Wyatt Nicholson.
“Lisa was a form and delicate soul, whose brilliance, creativity, resilience and empathy, illuminated the lives of her household, pals and followers alike,” her family members shared.
“She will likely be remembered for her imaginative spirit, her pioneering position in supernatural fiction, and her generosity, heat and coronary heart, each on and off the web page.”
The tribute concluded with Smith’s personal phrases, “Nothing actually dies so long as it’s not forgotten.”
