Sweden Mourns the Loss of Cultural Icons Eva Bysing and Jilly Cooper in October 2025
Sweden mourns the passing of actress Eva Bysing and author Jilly Cooper, who both died in October 2025, leaving lasting cultural legacies.
- • Eva Bysing died at 82 after a long illness, known for her role in 'Rederiet'.
- • Jilly Cooper, aged 88, passed away due to a fall, famous for bestselling romance novels.
- • Bysing began her career in the 1960s and dealt with health struggles in later life.
- • Cooper's work gained renewed attention due to a TV adaptation and was set to be honored as a Dame.
- • Both deaths reflect significant losses in cultural figures relevant to Sweden.
Key details
Sweden and the wider cultural community have been marked by the recent deaths of two prominent figures in October 2025: Eva Bysing, a cherished Swedish actress and singer, and Jilly Cooper, a bestselling British author renowned for her romance novels.
Eva Bysing passed away at age 82 after a prolonged illness, as announced by her stepson Nicolas Wallin. Bysing was best known for her iconic role as Irma Larsson in the popular SVT series "Rederiet," where she starred for eight seasons. Her career began in the mid-1960s as a landscape hostess on "Hylands hörna," eventually leading to success in revues with notable performers like Tjadden Hällström and Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt. She also gained attention through the 1973 entertainment show "Fint som snus." Before her death, she had battled significant health challenges, including vision problems that required monthly injections. Bysing also reflected on her profound loneliness following the death of her partner, jazz musician Bengt-Arne Wallin, in 2015, and though she had no children, she cherished her bond with her stepchildren (Source ID 88961).
Jilly Cooper died at the age of 88 due to complications following a fall accident. Known in Sweden as the "tantsnusk" (a colloquial term meaning "auntie smut") queen for her romantic and often scandalous novels, Cooper's works such as "Rivalerna," "Ryttare," and "Mannen som gjorde de äkta männen svartsjuka" captivated many readers, despite mixed critical reception. Her literary career began as a newspaper columnist before she shifted fully to fiction in the 1980s. Recently, her popularity received a boost with a new TV adaptation of "Rivalerna" on Disney+, which already has a second season filmed. Cooper was set to be honoured with the title of Dame by King Charles in 2024, a testament to her enduring impact on literature (Source ID 89026).
Together, these two cultural figures represent significant contributions to entertainment and literature, both within Sweden and internationally. Their deaths mark the end of important chapters in Swedish cultural history, eliciting reflection on their legacies and lasting influence.
As the nation remembers Eva Bysing and Jilly Cooper, their works continue to inspire new audiences and celebrate decades of artistic achievement.