Sue Grafton, Acclaimed Mystery Author, Dead at 77

Sue Grafton
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The writer died after a long battle with cancer on Thursday.

Sue Grafton, acclaimed mystery author, died on Thursday in Santa Barbara, California, after a two year battle with cancer. She was 77.

Grafton's death was confirmed by her daughter, Jamie Grafton, who took to her mother's Facebook on Friday to share the unfortunate news with her dedicated fan base.

"I am sorry to tell you all that Sue passed away last night after a two year battle with cancer. She was surrounded by family, including her devoted and adoring husband Steve," Jamie wrote. "Although we knew this was coming, it was unexpected and fast. She had been fine up until just a few days ago, and then things moved quickly."

"Sue always said that she would continue writing as long as she had the juice. Many of you also know that she was adamant that her books would never be turned into movies or TV shows, and in that same vein, she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name," she continued. "Because of all of those things, and out of the deep abiding love and respect for our dear sweet Sue, as far as we in the family are concerned, the alphabet now ends at Y."

Grafton is best known for her "alphabet series," a 25-book collection of detective novels that feature private investigator Kinsey Millhone. "B" Is for Burglar and "C" Is for Corpse, which are part of the collection, won the Anthony Awards for Best Novel. Her last work in the series was "Y" Is for Yesterday, which was published in August.

Upon hearing the news of her passing, fans and colleagues took to social media to share their condolences.

Meg Cabot, author of the Princess Diaries books, wrote on Twitter, "Oh, no. This is really sad. I loved her books. Thank you for them, Sue Grafton."

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