Best-selling author known for A Woman of Substance - Her books have sold more than 91 million copies and have been published in more than 40 languages and in 90 countries.

Her own rags-to-riches story mirrored those of many of her resilient heroines, and her dozens of novels helped her amass a fortune of $300 million.

Best selling British-American author Barbara Taylor Bradford has died aged 91 after a “short illness”. She died peacefully in her home on Sunday, November 24, surrounded by loved ones. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Barbara Taylor Bradford Reveals the Key to Her Strong Storylines.

Author Barbara Taylor Bradford, best known for her debut novel "A Woman of Substance," has died at age 91. Her books often starred strong women.

The title of Barbara Taylor Bradford's most celebrated, and first, novel A Woman of Substance could well have been used to describe the author herself. The 1979 story of a young woman's journey from rags to riches went from bestseller to super-seller in a year and stayed on the New York Times list for 43 weeks.

Barbara Taylor Bradford, who has died aged 91, rose from suburban Leeds to become the doyenne of popular fiction, famous for hugely successful blockbusters about strong-willed women who fight back the tears in the face of adversity and emerge rich and happy while reflecting on life,