'The Vampire Diaries' Author L.J. Smith Passes Away

TV & Film

Mar 25

L.J. Smith book covers — Image Source: CultureSlate

L.J. Smith, author of The Vampire Diaries and the Secret Circle books, sadly passed away at age 66 on 8th March 2025. Although a cause of death has not been given, Smith has suffered from several major health conditions, that have plagued her for the last two decades.

Born in Fort Lauderdale in 1958, the family moved to Anaheim, California when she was a child. L.J. Smith spent most of her life in the Golden State, apart from a brief spell in the United Kingdom. Lisa Jane Smith graduated from the University of California with degrees in English and Physiological Psychology. She worked as an elementary school teacher before pursuing her career in writing. Her first series was published in 1987, the little-known Wildworld series. The books were mislabelled as age 9-11 (rather than Young Adult) and sold poorly as a result. However, Wildworld did get her noticed. L.J. Smith was signed by Alloy Entertainment to write a vampire series about a good brother and a bad brother who fall for the same girl. Smith came up with The Vampire Diaries from the short brief. She wrote the scene where Elena, Bonnie, and Meredith decorate the gym and meet Damon to land the job. Lisa Jane Smith penned eight books for The Vampire Diaries, but because she technically did not own the copyright, she was later replaced by a ghostwriter.

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Smith followed with The Secret Circle, Dark Visions, The Forbidden Game, and The Night World Series. She became one of the most popular Young Adult authors of the 1990s. She is one of the architects of the modern vampire template in urban fantasy, inspiring authors like Cassandra Clare and Stephenie Meyers. Her books were regulars on the New York Times Best Seller list, and Vampire Diaries book 3: Midnight took the top spot.

The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle both went on to become hit TV shows. The Night World series is currently not complete, with the last instalment delayed by almost twenty years due to ill health. However, on her website, Smith said she handed in the completed manuscripts to the two-part novel of Strange Fate just months before she died. It is hoped by her fans that they will get to read her last words.

L.J. Smith is survived by longtime friend Julie Divola, her sister, nieces, and nephews.

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