Famous for her steamy novels about the Hollywood glitterati, Jackie Collins' career spanned six decades and included some 30 New York Times bestsellers.

The 77-year-old died on Saturday in Los Angeles after battling breast cancer for more than six years, according to People magazine.

The US publication said she had kept the illness secret from all but her closest family, and had continued working and traveling right up until her death. She told People: "“I've written five books since my diagnosis.”"

"It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the death of our beautiful, dynamic and one of a kind mother, Jackie Collins, who died of breast cancer today," Collins' family wrote in a statement on Facebook.

"She lived a wonderfully full life and was adored by her family, friends and the millions of readers who she has been entertaining for over 4 decades,"” the family added.

Born in Britain in 1937, Collins described herself as a “"wild child", whose desperate parents eventually sent her to Hollywood to live with her big sister, actress Joan collins.

Writing about characters driven by lust, power and greed, several of her books were adapted for television including “"Hollywood Wives,"” "“Rock Star”" and “"The Stud."” She said she wrote about “real people in disguise.”

Collins' novels were often so steamy, they were were censored. Her debut book, "The World is Full of Married Men," was reportedly described as "filthy and disgusting" by fellow author Barbara Cartland and banned in South Africa and Australia. But the controversy created so much publicity that the book sold well in the UK and US.

She also penned a series of mafia novels documenting the lives of the Santangelo family, focusing on its patriarch Gino and his daughter Lucky. The last in the series "The Santangelos," was published in June.

Her sister Joan only learned of her sister's illness two weeks ago, despite her having been diagnosed in 2009. "I admire how she handled this. She was a wonderful, brave and a beautiful person and I love her," Joan Collins told People magazine.

Jackie Collins, who lived in Beverly Hills, was married twice, including to a nightclub owner Oscar Lerman, who died in 1992.

She leaves three daughters and six grandchildren.

mm/rc (AP, Reuters, People)