AUTHOR L. J. Smith whose novels inspired the hit TV show The Vampire Diaries has tragically died aged 66.
Ms Smith died in hospital where she was being treated for a rare autoimmune disease, her family said.
The author, who shot to fame with her Vampire Diaries book series, had been suffering from the disease for over a decade.
She wrote over two dozen published books, with three more unpublished works completed before her death.
He debut novel was The Night of the Solstice, which she wrote in 1987.
It was followed by the sequel Heart of Valor, which she finished in 1990.
In 1991, Ms Smith wrote the first three parts of The Vampire Diaries, which was centered on a love triangle involving a popular high school girl named Elena Gilbert and a pair of vampire brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore.
After sales hit through the roof, she was asked to write an extended trilogy of the book series for Alloy Entertainment.
In 2009, the books were adapted into a dramatic television series that ran for eight seasons on the CW Network.
The fictional show, which explored themes like romance and morality, became a massive hit among young audiences.
By 2014, the Vampire Diaries book series had sold more than five million copies, the New York Times reports.
Ms Smith said that she realized she wanted to be a writer sometime between kindergarten and first grade when a teacher praised a poem she wrote.
Tributes are pouring in for the legendary author who “touched the lives of many”.
A tribute on the author’s 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.”
One fan wrote on X: “I’m absolutely sobbing at LJ Smith passing away, thank you so much for creating The Vampire Diaries!”
Another person wrote: “I will never recover from this news. I’m never going to see that last Night World book.”
A third fan shared: “I still have an entire shelf with every single one of your book series. One of the authors I always say raised me! lol. Thank you for being apart of my childhood!”
Ms Smith is now is survived by her long-time friend Julie Divola, her beloved younger sister Judy Clifford and Judy’s family.
In 2015, she almost died from an undiagnosed granulomatosis with polyangiitis.
The author was hospitalized for two months and on a ventilator for many weeks weeks during which she suffered severe damage to her kidneys, heart, liver, and gallbladder.
