Sue Townsend, creator of Adrian Mole, dies aged 68

The author Sue Townsend, whose most popular character Adrian Mole defined a generation, has died at the age of 68.

She was best-known for the fictional diaries of Adrian Mole, who began confiding his deepest desires and ambitions in The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole 13 3/4 in 1982. His teenage years were recounted in The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole and further novels dealt with married life and middle age.

Townsend died on Thursday evening after a stroke. As the news of Townsend’s death broke, tributes were paid to the writer on Twitter. Stephen Mangan, the actor who played Adrian Mole in a television adaptation of the books, tweeted: “Greatly upset to hear that Sue Townsend has died. One of the warmest, funniest and wisest people I ever met.”

Writer Caitlin Moran wrote: “One of the funniest women who ever lived.”

Danny Wallace, a comedy writer, tweeted: "Farewell, brilliant Sue Townsend. Rest in peace, Adrian Mole" and playwright Simon Stephens wrote: "I met Sue Townsend. Very early in my career. She was much more inspiring than I thought she would be and I thought she would be amazing."
– ( Guardian service )