Jackie Collins, novelist, died at 77

  Dead Famous

Jacqueline Jill “Jackie” Collins, born on October 4, 1937 and died September 19, 2015 from breast cancer, she was a British-American romance novelist.

She moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s, where she lived, became a U.S. citizen and spent most of her career.

“She lived a wonderfully full life and was adored by her family, friends and the millions of readers who she has been entertaining for over 4 decades.

She was a true inspiration, a trail blazer for women in fiction and a creative force.

Jackie will live on through her characters but we already miss her beyond words.”

Diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer six-and-a-half years ago, Collins, 77, chose to keep her illness almost entirely to herself, confiding primarily in her three daughters, Tracy, 54, Tiffany, 48, and Rory, 46.

Jackie, who sat down with PEOPLE on Sept. 14 at her Beverly Hills home for what would be her last interview, had no regrets about the decision to keep her cancer journey private while she embraced a very full life until her very last days.

“Looking back, I’m not sorry about anything I did,” she said during the far-ranging interview that saw her spirited, warm and utterly at peace.

“I did it my way, as Frank Sinatra would say. I’ve written five books since the diagnosis, I’ve lived my life, I’ve travelled all over the world, I have not turned down book tours and no one has ever known until now when I feel as though I should come out with it,” said Collins, whose treatments over the years included a lumpectomy, radiation and various drug courses and combinations.

Jackie Collins died at age 77 on September 19, 2015.