Bestselling Author Mary Higgins Clark Has Died At 92

Bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark, known as the "Queen of Suspense," died on Friday at 92 years old.

Carolyn K. Reidy, president and CEO of Higgins Clark's longtime publisher, Simon & Schuster, confirmed she died of "complications of old age."

In a career spanning over 45 years, Higgins Clark wrote 56 books, each one a bestseller; over 100 million copies have sold in the US alone. Her final book, Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry, a timely novel about a reporter investigating sexual misconduct allegations at a national news network, published in November 2019.

"It is impossible to overestimate the importance of Mary’s contribution to our success, and her role in the modern history of Simon & Schuster," Reidy wrote in a message on Higgins Clark's website. "She was, simply, a remarkable woman who overcame an early life of hardship and challenges, never doubting her ability as a natural-born storyteller (and she was one for the ages), and who persevered through trial and rejection until she at last achieved her Holy Grail of being a published author."

Higgins Clark was known for writing likable characters, whom she described in a 2015 Guardian interview as "very nice people whose lives are invaded." In that same profile, writer Sarah Weinman explained her widespread appeal: "[B]y leaving sex, violence and profanity strictly offstage ... Clark attracts a readership ranging in age from 10 to 90."

Fans and fellow authors are taking to Twitter to celebrate the prolific author, remembering her as a mentor and inspiration.