Jackie Collins

The novelist - the author of 'The World Is Full of Married Men' - passed away at the age of 77 in September 2015 after battling the illness in secret for over six years.

A statement issued by her family read: "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."

Jackie shared her stage 4 cancer diagnosis with her family, but made the decision to keep it from her fans.

In an interview with PEOPLE, five days before her passing, Jackie said of her decision: "Looking back, I'm not sorry about anything I did. I did it my way, as Frank Sinatra would say. I've written five books since the diagnosis, I've lived my life, I've [travelled] all over the world, I have not turned down book tours and no one has ever known until now when I feel as though I should come out with it."