Original Nancy Drew author dead at 96

Mildred Benson, shown in this 1995 file photo, died Tuesday in Toledo, Ohio, at the age of 96.

TOLEDO, Ohio (CNN) -- Millie Benson, the author who captivated generations of young girls with her Nancy Drew mystery books, died Tuesday night. She was 96.

Benson, a newspaper reporter for decades, was at The Toledo Blade writing her weekly column when she became ill and went home.

Late in the afternoon, she was taken by rescue squad to Toledo Hospital, where she died about 8:20 p.m., hospital spokeswoman Colleen Grubb said.

Under the pen name Carolyn Keene, she wrote 23 of the first 30 'Nancy Drew' novels in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, launching a series that is still in print and has sold more than 200 million books in 17 languages.

The character Nancy Drew was an adventurous, outspoken and curious sleuth.

CNN NewsPass VIDEO CNN's Brian Cabell says the life of Mildred "Millie" Benson was as adventuresome as that of her fictional heroine (May 29) Play video

"At that time ... girls weren't like that. Girls were dependent," Benson told CNN earlier this year. She admitted she was very much like the character she created.

"I didn't follow the pattern that normally girls followed. I just was myself always, and what I wanted to be or do or think, I did and nobody opposed me on it," she said

When the Nancy Drew series was launched, Benson was required to sign a contract, giving her a flat fee of $125 per book, with no royalties. She also signed away use of the name Carolyn Keene. Before writing each book, she was given a brief outline of each story, along with some of the main characters.

Benson was born and raised in Ladora, Iowa, and began writing as a child. She graduated from high school in three years, and received a master's degree in journalism from the University of Iowa.

Late in life, she earned her pilot's license, and flew alone in the United States and Central America. She was still golfing in her 90s.

Benson worked at The Blade and the former Toledo Times for 58 years. She continued to work despite failing eyesight, hearing and an earlier bout with cancer.

Benson "reported to work every day, and retained a zest for life and her profession long after most of her contemporaries had passed on," said John Robinson Block, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Blade.

"She was gutsy and daring, a living embodiment of her Nancy Drew heroine. She influenced generations of Blade reporters. I will never forget her," Block said.