British comic author Sue Townsend, the creator of teenage angst-ridden Adrian Mole , has died after suffering a stroke. She was 68. Born in Leicester, Ms. Townsend left school at 15, married at 18, and by 23 was a single mother of three. She worked in a factory, in shops and at other jobs and wrote, honing her style for years before breaking through into publication.
Ms. Townsend followed Adrian Mole up with a series of books, the most recent one being Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years (2009). In later years, Ms. Townsend, who was a diabetic, went on to use a wheelchair and was registered blind.