Dame Jilly Cooper died from head injuries after fall at home, inquest hears
An inquest into the 88-year-old's death took place on Tuesday
Dame Jilly Cooper died from a fatal head injury after falling down a flight of stairs at her home, an inquest was told.
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The famous novelist, 88, best known for her "bonkbusters" including Riders, Rivals and Polo books, was found by family on Saturday, October 4 at her Gloucestershire property.
Emergency services attended the home, in Bisley, shortly after 5pm, where it was reported she was initially conscious and alert.
She was taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital but her condition deteriorated and she later died from her injuries with her family present the following morning.
Read more: Queen pays tribute to 'wonderfully witty' friend Dame Jilly Cooper at literary festival
Read more: Queen leads tributes after best-selling novelist Dame Jilly Cooper dies aged 88 after fall
At Gloucestershire Coroners' Court on Tuesday, senior coroner Katy Skerrett reached a conclusion of accidental death and said Dame Jilly died as a result of a traumatic subdural haematoma.
Paramedics who first arrived at her home found her conscious and describing a ‘severe headache’. She said she had a ‘vague recollection’ of falling down
Her daughter, Emily Tarrant, believed her mother fell down the stairs due to blood found at that area of the property.
Hospital tests revealed she had suffered a ‘catastrophic’ skull fracture that was likely unsurvivable. Her condition deteriorated overnight and she died in hospital the following morning.
The coroner said: "The deceased was Dame Jill Jilly' Cooper, an 88-year-old lady.
"When she passed away was October 5 2025 at 8.30am. Where she passed away was at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital where she had been transferred.
"The circumstances surrounding her tragic death were she had suffered an unwitnessed fall at her home address on October 4. She fell, perhaps down some stairs, sustaining a significant head injury.
"There were no suspicious circumstances surrounding her fall. She passed away later, on October 5, with family present.
"This is a case of accidental death, the accident being the unwitnessed fall by Dame Cooper at Dame Cooper’s address, triggering the tragic events that thereafter followed.
“May this office extend their sincere condolences to Dame Cooper’s family."
The author is was best known for her series the "Rutshire Chronicles", which were described as romantic and racy.
Her first novel in the Rutshire series, Riders, was published in 1985.
Born in Hornchurch, Essex in 1937, Dame Jilly grew up in Yorkshire and attended the private Godolphin School in Salisbury.
Her father was a brigadier and her family moved to London in the 1950s where she became a reporter on The Middlesex Independent when she was 20. The famed author once revealed she was sacked from 22 jobs before ending up in book publishing.
Following her death, The Queen described her as a "legend" and a "wonderfully witty and compassionate friend to me and so many."
She said in a message: "I was so saddened to learn of Dame Jilly’s death last night.
"Very few writers get to be a legend in their own lifetime but Jilly was one, creating a whole new genre of literature and making it her own through a career that spanned over five decades.
"In person she was a wonderfully witty and compassionate friend to me and so many – and it was a particular pleasure to see her just a few weeks ago at my Queen’s Reading Room Festival where she was, as ever, a star of the show.
"I join my husband the King in sending our thoughts and sympathies to all her family. And may her hereafter be filled with impossibly handsome men and devoted dogs."
Dame Jilly's family said: "Mum, was the shining light in all of our lives. Her love for all of her family and friends knew no bounds."Her unexpected death has come as a complete shock.
"We are so proud of everything she achieved in her life and can't begin to imagine life without her infectious smile and laughter all around us."
All of Dame Jilly Cooper's novels
Rutshire Chronicles series:
- Riders (1985)
- Rivals (1988)
- Polo (1991)
- The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous (1993)
- Appassionata (1996)
- Score! (1999)
- Pandora (2002)
- Wicked! (2006)
- Jump! (2010)
- Mount! (2016)
- Tackle! (2024)
Standalone novels:
- Emily (1975)
- Bella (1976)
- Harriet (1976)
- Octavia (1977)
- Imogen (1978)
- Prudence (1978)
- Lisa & Co (1981)
Jolly series:
- Jolly Super (1971)
- Jolly Super Too (1973)
- Jolly Superlative (1975)