Francine Pascal, the creator of Sweet Valley High, passed away on July 28 at the age of 92.
Francine Pascal, known for her work as a soap opera writer and author of the Sweet Valley High books, died on Sunday in Manhattan at the age of 92. Pascal’s publisher, Penguin Random House, confirmed her passing to the Associated Press on Tuesday. According to her daughter, Laurie Wenk-Pascal, Pascal died at New York-Presbyterian Hospital due to lymphoma.
With the help of various writers, Pascal produced 181 Sweet Valley High volumes over twenty years. The young adult series, which debuted in 1983, followed identical twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield as they navigated relationships, friendships, and drama in the fictional Los Angeles suburb of Sweet Valley. The series also spawned several spin-offs, including Sweet Valley Senior Year and Sweet Valley University.
The books sold over 200 million copies worldwide and were translated into 27 languages. From 1994 to 1997, the related TV series aired for four seasons, starring real-life twins Cynthia and Brittany Daniel.
Before her career in young adult fiction, Pascal worked as a journalist and contributed to the 1960s soap opera The Young Marrieds.
Pascal divorced her first husband, Jerome Offenberg, in 1963. They had three children, including Jamie, who died in 2008. She married John Pascal in 1964, who passed away in 1981. Pascal is survived by her daughters Laurie and Susan, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
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