Bridgerton author Julia Quinn has confirmed that her father and sister, Steve Cotler and Violet Charles, have been killed in a drunk driving incident.
Sharing a snap of the pair on Facebook, she wrote: “I have lost my father and my sister. Because a catering company did not secure their load and canvas bags spilled onto the highway. Because a pickup driver thought nothing of driving while his blood alcohol level was nearly 3 times the legal limit.
“I have lost my father, and I don't have my sister with whom to grieve. I have lost my sister Violet Charles Comics, with whom I had just finished writing a graphic novel. It was dedicated to our father. It will still be dedicated to our father. It won't be a surprise anymore, but I'd like to think he suspected we'd do it. He knew us so well. He was our dad.”
Julia shared a post confirming the devastating news
She shared a eulogy from her father’s Facebook page, who was the author of book series Cheesie Mack, which read: “On June 29, 2021, our father Steve Cotler was killed by a drunk driver in a crash that also took the life of his youngest daughter, the noted cartoonist Violet Charles. Violet’s beloved service dog Michelle also perished in the crash.”
The eulogy spoke of Steve’s career, while adding that he was “the most embarrassing dad ever”. In the post, Julie said: “It was his 25th reunion. I was a sophomore, so I stayed in Cambridge to attend the festivities with him. The entire class of ’65 had gone to a club in Boston for dancing, and Janet Jackson came on the speakers.
Julia had recently completed a graphic novel with her sister
“My father started dancing very badly (typical) but with great enthusiasm (also typical). I saw a few teenagers pointing and snickering, and I thought, ‘Yeah, you WISH your dad danced like that.’ After that, I felt nothing but pride in his geekiness. He was willing to try almost anything, and he never let the fear of embarrassment rule his actions. As a friend said after his sudden death, ‘We should all be a little more Steve.’”
Her followers offered their condolences, with one writing: “There are no words that will make this anything less than awful, but will still tell you how sorry I am for your loss.” Another added: “I am so so sorry. Words can't express how terrible this is. My deepest condolences.”
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