The bestselling British author passed away on Saturday (19Sep15), aged 77, more than six years after she was diagnosed with the disease.

A family statement released to People.com reads: "It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the death of our beautiful, dynamic and one of a kind mother, Jackie Collins, who died of breast cancer today.

"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 four decades. She was a true inspiration, a trail blazer for women in fiction and a creative force. She will live on through her characters but we already miss her beyond words."

Collins, younger sister to actress Joan Collins, had her first book, The World Is Full of Married Men, published in 1968. She went on to write more than 30 novels throughout her career, including 1981's Chances, which introduced fans to her most famous character, Lucky Santangelo.

She also penned Hollywood Wives, which was adapted into a U.S. drama series by TV mogul Aaron Spelling in 1985, starring Candice Bergen and Anthony Hopkins.

Collins was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2013 for her services to fiction and her charity work.