Bridgerton author Julia Quinn has shared the heartbreaking news that her dad and younger sister have been killed in a tragic crash involving a "drunk driver".
Police say the crash involved several cars and took place on the highway in Davis County, Utah on June 29.
It's said that the alleged drunk driver was three times over the limit.
The author, 51, whose books were turned into a hit Netflix series shared the tragic news on Facebook.
She wrote in a public statement: "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 three times the legal limit.
"I have lost my father and I don’t have my sister with whom to grieve."
Julia said she had recently finished writing a graphic novel with her sister.
She added: "I have lost my sister Violet Charles Comics, with whom I had just finished writing a graphic novel. It will be 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's father Steve Cotler, 77, and sister Violet Charles - real name Ariana Elise Cotler, 37, died in the crash, Metro reports.
MailOnline reports that cops confirmed a lorry had lost a load of canvas bags on the freeway, and that a green Ford F-250 pickup truck had hit a red Toyota Prius, which then hit a silver Chevy Malibu.
Another male involved in the incident was taken to hospital and is said to be in a critical condition.
The driver, reportedly three times over the drink-driving limit, is said to have suffered minor injuries.
Julia's dad Steve was also an author, who graduated from Harvard and is best known for writing the Cheesie Mack series.
Violet's Twitter profile says she was a cartoonist who was busy illustrating Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron novel.
Julia has sold more than 10 million novels throughout her career, and she's a consultant on the hit Netflix series based on her books, which follow a group of siblings looking for love in Victorian England.
Bridgerton has become the streaming service's most-watched series.
Filming of the second series is currently ongoing.
