Crime Writer Anne Perry Dead at 84

The author was known for her many works and serving as the inspiration for Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures

Anne Perry, the crime writer who was found guilty of murdering her friend's mother at 15 years old, has died at the age of 84, per multiple reports.

The author, whose agent told the New York Times that her health had declined since a December heart attack, died at a Los Angeles hospital on Monday.

Reps for Perry did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Related:Lord of the Rings Director Peter Jackson Says Amazon Ghosted Him Over Rings of Power Prequel Series

Before Perry's extensive career writing detective books following the fictional characters of Thomas Pitt, William Monk and others — starting with 1979's The Cater Street Hangman — she was found guilty of murdering her best friend Pauline Parker's mother Honorah Rieper alongside Parker when she was 15 years old and Parker was 16, in 1954.

Perry, born as Juliet Marion Hulme before taking up her pen name years later, was sentenced to 5 years in prison after being accused of bludgeoning Rieper to death in New Zealand with a brick wrapped in a stocking.

It wasn't until 1994 that Perry's past was revealed publicly, when Peter Jackson based his drama Heavenly Creatures on her story. In the film, which was nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Perry was played by actress Kate Winslet and Parker by Melanie Lynskey.

In a 2006 interview with the Times of London, the author said she made the "profoundly wrong decision," and that she worried about her friend potentially taking her life if she didn't participate in the murder. She and Parker were ordered to never to meet again.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

During her career, Perry wrote more than 30 books in the series following William and Charlotte Pitt, ending with 2016's Murder on the Serpentine. Following that series, she began to write about their fictional son Daniel Pitt, ending with 2022's The Fourth Enemy.

Her next novel, titled The Traitor Among Us and set to continue the story of English detective Elena Standish, is set to be published in September.

Starting in 2003 and ending in 2021, Perry also wrote a Christmas novella each years as well, from A Christmas Journey to A Christmas Legacy. She additionally penned four young-adult novels, five World War I-based books, two fantasy novels inspired by faith and additional short stories, per the Times.

Perry's books have gone on to sell more than 26 million books worldwide, per her website, and in 1998 she was named by The Times of London as one of its 100 Masters of Crime of the past century, alongside Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Arthur Conan Doyle.

"Anne was a loyal and loving friend, and her writing was driven by her fierce commitment to raising awareness around social injustice," a statement from Ki Agency to the BBC reads.

"Many readers have been moved by her empathy for people backed into impossible situations, or overwhelmed by the difficulties of life."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.