Juliet Johnson told the Associated Press on Tuesday that Adams died in Oxfordshire, England, on Christmas Eve after getting progressively weaker in recent weeks.

He died of what used to be called old age,” she said, adding that her father also suffered from a blood disorder.

Adams’ lyrical and poignant novel about the plight of rabbits whose home was under threat became an astonishing success after it was published. Popular with both children and adults, it has since sold millions of copies and was made into a film, with a remake scheduled for next year.

It entered the popular imagination and has never been forgotten.

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