Julie Powell has died at the age of 49 (Picture: Jim Spellman/WireImage)

Food writer Julie Powell, who inspired Amy Adams’ character in the film Julie & Julia, has died at the age of 49.

Powell rose to fame after spending a year cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking for her blog The Julie/Julia Project – a decision that inspired the 2009 film, which also starred Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci.

Powell’s husband Eric told the New York Times she died of a cardiac arrest at her home in Olivebridge, upstate New York.

Powell began her blog in 2002, which was then turned into a book, Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, in 2005.

In 2009, with the release of the film Julie & Julia, Powell became even more well known, becoming a New York Times bestselling author.

In the film, which was also Nora Ephron’s final work as a writer and director, Enchanted star Amy starred as Powell, while Meryl took on the role of Child.

Child, who died in 2004, never saw the film but was familiar with Powell’s work.

Powell’s husband told the NYT that she ‘was happy for the story to be Nora Ephron’s story.’

He added to the outlet: ‘It did kind of sand down the quirky and the spiky and a lot of the things everyone knew her for and loved her for. And she was OK with that.’

More to come.

Powell died of a cardiac arrest.