‘Wolf Hall’ Author Was 70 – Deadline

Hilary Mantel, the author of Wolf Hall and a string of other hugely successful historical fiction books, has died aged 70, according to her publisher.

4th Estate Books tweeted in the past few minutes saying that the two-time Booker Prize-winning author had died.

“We are heartbroken at the death of our beloved author, Dame Hilary Mantel, and our thoughts are with her friends and family, especially her husband, Gerald,” said the statement. “This is a devastating loss and we can only be grateful she left us with such a magnificent body of work.”

Born in 1952, Mantel went on wrote several successful fiction works before her Thomas Cromwell series landed her worldwide fame.

The first, Wolf Hall, was turned into a successful BBC Two drama starring Mark Rylance and the second and third, Bring Up the Bodies and The Mirror & The Light, have also been critically acclaimed. The first two won Booker prizes.

She is survived by her husband Gerald McEwen.