Best-selling Bonkbuster author, Rebecca Chance, has passed away at the age of 59, according to statements on Instagram. Chance was interviewed for THEGAYUK numerous times during her writing career and was a staunch gay-rights ally. She was crowned “Queen of the bonkbuster, by then TGUK editor and chief Jake Hook.

Her books include thrillers, bonkbusters, chick lit, mysteries, Tart Noir, romantic comedies, and young adult. Between 1996 and 2011, Henderson published 17 books under her own name. She began writing as Rebecca Chance in 2009.

Author Matt Cain wrote on Instagram, “RIP Lauren Milne Henderson AKA Rebecca Chance. We met in 2014 when we were both published by the same editor at Pan Macmillan and quickly became party and publicity partners. She was outrageous, sparky and filthy – and could also be shockingly and delightfully bitchy. But we also lived around the corner from each other so some of my favourite moments were our walks on Hampstead Heath, when she showed her gentler, more vulnerable side.”

Wit, Style and gorgeous shoes

Rebecca Chance, the bestselling novelist and journalist whose glamorous, high-octane fiction captivated readers around the world, died on 11 March 2026 at the age of 59. Known off the page as Lauren Henderson, she leaves behind a rich literary legacy defined by wit, style, and a keen eye for the complexities of modern womanhood.

Born on 30 September 1966 in Hampstead, London, Henderson was educated at North London Collegiate School and later studied English Literature at Cambridge University. She began her career as a journalist, writing for publications including The Observer, The Guardian, and Cosmopolitan, where her sharp voice and cultural insight quickly distinguished her. 

Henderson first made her mark as a novelist under her own name, publishing 17 books between 1996 and 2011 across genres including crime, romantic comedy, and young adult fiction. She was also a pioneering force in the “Tart Noir” movement—a subgenre blending crime fiction with feminist sensibility—and is widely regarded as its “godmother.” 

In 2009, she reinvented herself under the pen name Rebecca Chance, launching a series of glamorous thrillers often described as “bonkbusters.” Titles such as Divas, Bad Sisters, and Killer Heels became international bestsellers, with several appearing on The Sunday Times bestseller list. Her novels, translated into more than 20 languages, transported readers into worlds of wealth, ambition, and intrigue, often exploring the darker undercurrents beneath polished surfaces. 

Her life beyond writing was as cosmopolitan as her fiction. Henderson spent time living in Tuscany and later in New York, experiences that informed both her journalism and her novels. Her 2005 non-fiction work, Jane Austen’s Guide to Dating, reflected her ability to blend literary insight with contemporary culture.

Throughout her career, she remained a vibrant presence in literary circles, contributing essays, editing anthologies, and appearing at festivals across the UK, US, and Australia. She was admired not only for her storytelling but also for her advocacy of women’s voices in crime fiction.

Rebecca Chance’s work endures as a celebration of bold, flawed, and fascinating women navigating power, desire, and identity. She is remembered as a trailblazer who brought glamour and grit together in equal measure, leaving an indelible mark on popular fiction.

The cause of her death has not been established.