'Shopaholics' author Sophie Kinsella British star author leaves a legacy of millions to five children
She became world-famous with the "Shopaholic" book series, but now author Sophie Kinsella has died. The mother of five leaves behind a legacy worth millions - and not just thanks to her novels.
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- Bestselling author Sophie Kinsella, real name Madeleine Wickham, has died at the age of 55 after a three-year battle with cancer.
- She sold over 45 million books worldwide with her humorous "Shopaholic" series and influenced an entire generation of readers.
- In addition to her literary success, she left her five children a fortune worth millions, which also came from a valuable real estate portfolio.
She made generations of readers smile with her "Shopaholic" book series: British author Sophie Kinsella, whose real name is Madeleine Wickham. The 55-year-old died after a three-year battle with cancer. She leaves behind five children.
Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series tells the story of the lovably chaotic Becky Bloomwood, who constantly falls into shopping traps despite her job as a financial journalist. With a lot of humor and heart, she stumbles from one consumer crisis to the next - and always finds surprising solutions. The mixture of humor, romance and social satire made the series a worldwide success. Kinsella has sold over 45 million books in total, many of them from the Shopaholic series. The stories have been translated into over 40 languages and were even made into a movie in 2009.
Amassed a veritable real estate fortune
In addition to her worldwide book successes, Sophie Kinsella has also demonstrated a keen instinct outside of literature - particularly in the real estate market.
She built up a considerable fortune with clever investments and a good eye for locations that would increase in value. She is leaving her five children not only a literary legacy, but also a financial one worth millions, writes the Daily Mail.
Together with her husband Henry Wickham, she owned a real estate portfolio worth more than 10 million pounds (approx. 10.67 million Swiss francs) with properties in sought-after locations: including a listed townhouse in the City of London, an elegant Westminster apartment, a spacious farmhouse in Dorset and a valuable property in Croydon, where Henry worked for a time as a principal.
Many of the houses were bought over a decade ago and are likely to have increased in value considerably since then. Her company Madhen Media Ltd, through which a large part of the income was generated, was valued at over 12 million pounds (12.81 million Swiss francs) according to the last balance sheets.
This fortune will now flow into the inheritance she leaves to her five children - as a result of her literary success and entrepreneurial flair.
