Kerry Greenwood, the acclaimed Australian author best known for her beloved Phryne Fisher murder mystery series, has died at the age of 70. Her partner, writer David Greagg, confirmed she passed away on 26 March following an illness in her home city of Melbourne.
A private memorial service was held in Yarraville on Sunday, described by Greagg as “a suitably royal send-off” for a woman whose iconic creations, especially the irrepressible Phryne Fisher, left a lasting mark on Australian literature and television.
“Kerry was an extremely private person and had no wish to share her pain with anyone,” Greagg wrote in a statement shared on Greenwood’s official Facebook page. “Her condition had deteriorated to the point where I could not keep her at home any longer. The end was mercifully quick thereafter.”
The Origins of a Trailblazer
Born in 1954 in Footscray, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Greenwood began writing stories as a child. Her first completed novel was a fantasy work titled The Magic Stone, penned while she was still a teenager.
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After studying English and law at the University of Melbourne, she spent more than two decades working as a criminal defence lawyer with Victorian Legal Aid, representing society’s most vulnerable. Her passion for justice would later infuse her writing, where heroines tackled corruption, misogyny and violence with wit and style.
Phryne Fisher: From Page to Global Phenomenon
Greenwood’s literary breakthrough came in 1989 with the publication of Cocaine Blues, introducing readers to Phryne Fisher—a glamorous, fiercely independent amateur detective in 1920s Melbourne. Over the next three decades, Greenwood authored 22 more novels in the series, building a devoted following both in Australia and around the world.
The popularity of the books led to the creation of the hit ABC television series, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, starring Essie Davis in the titular role. The show ran for three seasons and was distributed to more than 73 countries, becoming a global cult favourite. It was later followed by a feature film, Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears (2020), and even inspired a 30-episode Chinese adaptation, Miss S.
An Advocate for Justice and Literature
Greenwood’s love of writing never displaced her commitment to law. Even during her most prolific literary years, she continued to work as a locum solicitor. At her funeral, her brother noted, “The quest for justice is what drove her.”
That dual devotion was recognised in 2003, when she received the Ned Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to Australian crime writing. In 2020, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to literature.
Beyond Phryne: A Prolific Literary Career
Greenwood’s bibliography extends far beyond the Phryne Fisher mysteries. She authored the Corinna Chapman series, centred on a baker-turned-detective in modern-day Melbourne, as well as plays, children’s books, and nonfiction, including the essay collection Things She Loves: Why Women Kill (1996).
She was also an avid historian, costume designer, embroiderer, and cook—skills that not only shaped her own life but also vividly coloured the characters and settings in her books.
Allen & Unwin, Greenwood’s publisher since 1997, praised her as a multifaceted and generous soul, noting, “Some of her earnings were spent on riotous living, but Kerry gave a lot of it away without fanfare to those who really needed it: fellow authors down on their luck, impecunious neighbours and, above all, to charities.”
Her Final Works and Lasting Words
Although her health had declined in recent years, Greenwood was still writing until shortly before her death. On 18 March, just over a week before she passed, she shared a Facebook update about her upcoming Phryne Fisher novel:
“Murder in the Cathedral is undergoing transformation from an extensively edited Word file into proper pages. This is a slow process, involving mysterious alchemy, scattering of rose petals, muttered incantations and the like, but it progresses.”
Fans flooded her Facebook page with heartfelt tributes, thanking her for her books and for creating heroines who inspired strength, confidence, and defiance.
A Heroine On and Off the Page
Essie Davis, who played Phryne Fisher on screen, expressed her sorrow and gratitude on Instagram:
“Kerry gifted us one of the most powerful and positive and inspiring heroines in Phryne Fisher. She has rescued and empowered so many people. I’m so grateful Kerry chose me to embody her. What a blessing. Kerry’s spunk and flare and research and moral compass. A great fun and fabulous guide to life. Vale Kerry, you are one of the angels.”
Her fans agree. For many, Phryne Fisher was more than just a detective—she was a symbol of liberation, femininity, and adventure. Greenwood’s richly detailed narratives and progressive characters have left a profound cultural imprint, especially in empowering female representation in crime fiction.
Remembering Kerry Greenwood
Kerry Greenwood was, as her publisher wrote, “a costumier, a cook, an embroiderer and a seamstress who made most of her own clothes, as well as a chorister and a very wise and exceptionally kind woman. Passionate about history, literature, cats and Egypt—indeed, curious about almost everything—Kerry will be sincerely missed by her family, friends, colleagues and readers.”
She leaves behind a legacy not just of novels and awards, but of inspiration. Her characters were bold, her prose was witty, and her compassion was palpable—in fiction and in life.
For the fans she empowered, the authors she supported, and the many readers she delighted across decades, Kerry Greenwood’s spirit lives on in every page turned and every mystery solved.
Vale Kerry Greenwood (1954–2025)
