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Amy Krouse Rosenthal, the best-selling author who recently announced her illness by penning a personals ad for her beloved husband, has died at 51.

Rosenthal had ovarian cancer. Her longtime literary agent confirmed her death to The Associated Press.


As an author, Rosenthal won hearts with her children's books and her memoirs — and broke them with her "Modern Love" column

In the piece, Rosenthal announced her illness, celebrated her family and sought a new partner for her husband, Jason. She finished the essay — difficult to write through a haze of drugs and illness — on Valentine's Day, she said, "and the most genuine, non-vase-oriented gift I can hope for is that the right person reads this, finds Jason, and another love story begins."


Rosenthal was a prolific writer, with more than 30 books to her name, the AP reports — including children's books 

Rosenthal was famously upbeat — an NPR book critic once called her "preternaturally cheerful."

Even her essay announcing her terminal disease was forward-looking and, in its own way, profoundly joyful. But the popular essay left many a reader in tears, as Rosenthal celebrated her husband and the life she was about to leave behind:

Rosenthal contributed to NPR several times, including a Thanksgiving-themed commentary from 1997 about what she was grateful for. "I'm thankful for hot soup on cold Sundays," she said. "I'm thankful every time I pull up to a parking meter with free time remaining. I'm thankful for pockets."


From 1997: Amy Krouse Rosenthal On What She's Thankful For

"People are just dying everywhere, all the time, every which way," she wrote. "What can the rest of us do but hold on for dear life."  

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Rosenthal won hearts with her children's book and memoirs -- and broke them with her essay announcing her terminal illness, a Modern Love piece called "You May Want To Marry My Husband."

Author, 'Modern Love' essayist Amy Krouse Rosenthal dies at 51

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