Australian author Kerry Greenwood has died at age 70. The novelist, lawyer and playwright was best known for her Phryne Fisher novels, a historical crime series set in Melbourne that was adapted into the hugely popular television series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.
In 2020, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to literature as a writer. In 2003 she was awarded the Ned Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award, and 2013 she was awarded the inaugural Sisters in Crime Lifetime Achievement Award.
Kerry Greenwood pictured in 2016.Credit:
Born in Footscray in 1954, Greenwood studied English and Law at Melbourne University and worked as a solicitor for Victorian Legal Aid. In addition to the Phryne Fisher series, which totalled 23 books, Greenwood also authored the Corinna Chapman novels and a number of plays.
In a post on Monday morning, her partner, David Greagg, confirmed Greenwood’s death on her official Facebook page, writing that the funeral was yesterday and that the writer was “given a suitably royal send-off”.
Greenwood, who lived in Seddon, in Melbourne’s west, died on March 26, but Greagg wrote that the news had been deliberately kept quiet.
“I have been grieving quietly as well as organising things. Her condition had deteriorated to the point where I could not keep her at home any longer.
“The end was mercifully quick thereafter. Kerry was an extremely private person and had no wish to share her pain with anyone. I told everyone after the wake that they could now post anything they liked, and they have done so. So I will stay silent no longer. Yes, she has gone. But she lives on in her books, and in our hearts. I will post more when I feel up to it. Please give me a little space for now. Thank you”
Since news of Greenwood’s death was announced, tributes from both the literary and screen sectors have flowed.
Australian author Lindy Cameron paid tribute to her “mentor and soul sister” writing on Facebook: I miss you dear friend but your legacy will keep us all entertained and inspired for years and years to come.”
Fiona Eagger and Deb Cox, producers of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, wrote: “She was our friend, inspiration, and the kindest and most supportive human we have worked with.
“We will miss her terribly and are forever grateful to have been trusted with her wonderful novels and to have had the honour of bringing the brilliant world she created to the screen. Her legacy will live on – we need to be brave like Phryne and in Kerry’s words - ‘go fly my pretty’s’. May your spirit soar, rest in peace Kerry Greenwood, forever in our hearts.”
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