LJ Smith, the author whose bestselling Vampire Diaries novels were adapted into a hit TV show, has died aged 66. 

The New York Times reports that the bestselling author died on March 8 in Walnut Creek, Calif, after suffering effects of a rare autoimmune disease for a decade.

A statement on Smith’s website said: “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.”

(Lisa Jane) Smith published the original four-book series, about two vampire brothers and an orphaned young woman, in 1991 and 1992, before they were turned into a hit TV show that debuted in 2009. She wrote another trilogy in 2009-11.

BBC News reports that in 2011 Smith was dropped by her publishers, who owned the rights to the series, and commissioned other writers to continue. But later the series was added to an Amazon Kindle scheme, which gave anyone the right to publish fan fiction, and she continued to create new instalments for the characters she had created. 

The Vampire Diaries TV show ran for eight years and won 30 Teen Choice Awards, including six consecutive wins for Nina Dobrev who played Elena for six seasons. Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder also starred as brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore.

Smith also wrote a series of Night World novels, also featuring vampires. Nine books in this series were published between 1996 and 1998. Dark Visions and The Forbidden Game were other trilogies she penned. 

Her trilogy The Secret Circle was published in 1992 and adapted into a TV drama in 2011.