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BESTSELLING AUTHOR and former neuroscientist Colleen McCullough died yesterday, at the age of 77.

The Australian writer’s best-known work The Thorn Birds sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and was the basis for one of the most-watched TV mini-series of all time.

This is how Australia’s biggest-selling national newspaper, The Australian, began her obituary:

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Plain of feature, and certainly overweight, she was, nevertheless a woman of wit and warmth.

The obit caused an immediate backlash online, with authors and others reacting angrily.

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According to independent Australian news siteCrikey, the obituary was the work of a male writer who has “since passed away himself”.

In response to the gaffe, the Australian’s rival the Sydney Morning Herald published a selection of descriptions of male authors:

Thin-nosed, and certainly balding, William Shakespeare was nevertheless a decent poet with an ear for dialogue.

And Twitter users have been posting their own satirical obits under the hashtag #myozobituary:

More: Colleen McCullough, who wrote the hugely successful book ‘The Thorn Birds’, has died>