The Sad Death of Sue Townsend Aged 68 and a bit

Sue Townsend the creator of the mega successful Adrian Mole series died last week - I first  read the The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 and Three Quarters when I wasn't much older than that myself. And I've  stuck with the books all these years, reading each and every one as they came out and aging with the character.


. Adrian Mole was a self obsessed teenager who took himself far too seriously and his diaries were comedy gold. The first book made Townsend a household name and propelled her to the top of the bestseller lists. The last Adrian Mole book was 2009's The Prostrate Years and it has been confirmed that Sue Townsend was actually working on another Adrian Mole book when she sadly died.


"We can confirm that Sue was in the middle of writing the book. Her editor had seen what she describes as 'a few wonderful pages'. It was supposed to be out this autumn and we are very sad that we won't be able to show it to the world."Publisher, Michael Joseph

Though given the way modern publishing works it is unlikely that the author's death will see the end of the series and expect to see the unfinished novel completed by another hand in the fullness of time.

RIP Sue Townsend


"One of the warmest, funniest and wisest people I ever met." Stephen Mangan who played Adrian Mole in the 2001 BBC TV series, The Cappuccino Years

Related Article - Sue Townsend and the Welfare State