Who Was LJ Smith? Exploring the Life of Author of Vampire Diaries Amid Her Death at 66

The Vampire Diaries author L.J. Smith passed away on March 8, 2025. Read on to learn more about her life, work, and lasting legacy.

Written by Ipshita Chakraborty , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 29, 2025 | 04:16 PM GMT | 10.7K

CC: Getty Images

Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of an individual's death.

L.J. Smith, bestselling author of The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle, has died at the age of 66.

After a decade-long struggle with an autoimmune disease, Lisa Jane Smith took her last breath on March 8, according to The New York Times. A statement issued on her site called her a "kind and gentle soul," adding, "whose brilliance, creativity, resilience, and empathy illuminated the lives of her family, friends and fans alike."

The site added, “She will be remembered for her imaginative spirit, her pioneering role in supernatural fiction, and her generosity, warmth and heart, both on and off the page.”

Born on 4 September 1958, the author taught elementary school until she left to concentrate on writing in 1989.

Her The Vampire Diaries series, released in 1991 and 1992 as four books, brought her into the public spotlight. It revolves around two brothers who are vampires and their bond with a young woman who is an orphan.

The series became popular again when it was made into a TV show in 2009 and quickly reached global fame. The Vampire Diaries aired for eight seasons.

Apart from The Vampire Diaries, Smith wrote a number of other best-selling supernatural trilogies, such as Night World, The Secret Circle, Dark Visions, and The Forbidden Game. Her trilogies garnered strong fan bases.

In 2011, BBC News reported that Smith's publishers dropped her, commissioning other writers to contribute to the series. Despite this, Smith managed to continue being part of her creations.

Using an Amazon Kindle program where fans were able to publish their own tales, she wrote more unofficial installments based on her much-loved characters.

L.J. Smith's TV series The Vampire Diaries was a huge hit. It has won 30 Teen Choice Awards throughout its course. The stars of the show, Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder, became internationally renowned for their performances.