In December 1990, and after a decade-long battle with the debilitating condition, J.K. Rowling’s mother – Anne – succumbed to multiple sclerosis at the age of just 45.
Anne’s death left a shadow of sadness that would greatly influence Jo's stories about a young wizard who loses his parents at an early age. One of Jo’s greatest regrets is that her mother never knew Harry Potter.
“On 30 December 1990, something happened that changed both my world and Harry's forever: my mother died.
It was a terrible time. My father, Di and I were devastated; she was only 45 years old and we had never imagined – probably because we could not bear to contemplate the idea – that she could die so young. I remember feeling as though there was a paving slab pressing down upon my chest, a literal pain in my heart…”