Back in 2002, Julie Powell was working as a temp in New York City. She was originally from Texas, but lived with her husband, her high-school sweetheart, in Long Island City.

In the wake of 9/11, Powell was looking for a way to get out of the rut she felt like she was in. She made a bold decision. She would try to make every single recipe in Julia Child‘s famous cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Not only that, but she would do it all in a year in her small apartment kitchen.

Powell wasn’t a trained cook, and the recipes in Child’s cookbook were challenging for her; however, no matter what, she didn’t give up.

Does this story sound familiar? That’s probably because Powell’s blog about her attempts to cook Child’s recipes became so popular that she turned it into a book which ended up being turned into a movie, “Julie & Julia” which stared Meryl Streep as Child and Amy Adams as Powell.

Powell’s husband, Eric Powell, confirmed that his wife died suddenly of cardiac arrest at her home on October 26, 2022. She was only 49 years old.

Upon hearing the news of Powell’s death, Judy Clain, Powell’s editor and the editor-in-chief of Little, Brown, released a statement saying, “It is with gratitude for her unique voice that we will now remember Julie’s dazzling brilliance and originality. We mourn her loss with her husband Eric and her family. We are sending our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved Julie, whether personally or through the deep connections she forged with readers of her memoirs. She was a brilliant writer and a daring, original person and she will not be forgotten.”

Powell’s blog where she wrote about her cooking adventures was hosted by Salon.com. Mary Elizabeth Williams, a senior writer at Salon, said of Powell, “She truly made her own lane. We were lucky enough to be the conduit.”

While Powell’s cooking adventures may have inspired many to try their hand in the kitchen or to set a goal to do something that sounds almost impossible at first, Powell was inspired by Child’s attitude about life. She once wrote, “Julia taught me what it takes to find your way in the world. It’s not what I thought it was. I thought it was all about — I don’t know, confidence or will or luck. Those are all some good things to have, no question. But there’s something else, something that these things grow out of. It’s joy.”

Powell is survived by her parents, brother and husband.