Beverly Cleary, the beloved children’s book author, tragically passes away on Thursday at the age of 104.

Entertainment Tonight reported that Cleary died in Carmel, California, where she had been living for over fifty years. She was the author of over forty books, publishing her first, “Henry Huggins,” in 1950. She would go on to write the iconic Ramona Quimby series, as well as other popular books like “The Mouse and the Motorcycle,” “Strider,” and “Dear Mr. Henshaw.”

Suzanne Murphy, President of publisher HarperCollins Children’s Books, released a statement in remembrance of Cleary.

“We are saddened by the passing of Beverly Cleary, one of the most beloved children’s authors of all time,” Murphy said. “Looking back, she’d often say, ‘I’ve had a lucky life,’ and generations of children count themselves lucky too—lucky to have the very real characters Beverly Cleary created, including Henry Huggins, Ramona and Beezus Quimby, and Ralph S. Mouse, as true friends who helped shape their growing-up years. We at HarperCollins also feel extremely lucky to have worked with Beverly Cleary and to have enjoyed her sparkling wit.  Her timeless books are an affirmation of her everlasting connection to the pleasures, challenges, and triumphs that are part of every childhood.”

Cleary’s husband Clarence, who she was married to for 64 years, passed away back in 2004. She is survived by their two children, Malcolm and Marianne, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

In 1999, Cleary opened up about her writing style in an interview with NPR.

“I think children want to read about normal, everyday kids. That’s what I wanted to read about when I was growing up,” she said at the time. “I wanted to read about the sort of boys and girls that I knew in my neighborhood and in my school. And in my childhood, many years ago, children’s books seemed to be about English children, or pioneer children. And that wasn’t what I wanted to read. And I think children like to find themselves in books.”

Even decades after her books were written, they still resonate with kids to this day.

“I think deep down inside children are all the same,” Cleary said in 2006. “They want two loving parents and they would prefer a house with a neighborhood they can play in. They want teachers that they can like. I don’t think children have changed that much. It’s the world that has changed.”