Author Frederick Forsyth, best known for writing thrillers including The Day of the Jackal, has died aged 86.
Throughout his career, the English novelist and journalist sold more than 70 million books in more than 30 languages.
Some of them included The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil’s Alternative, The Fist of God, Icon, The Veteran, Avenger, The Afghan, The Cobra and The Kill List.
More than a dozen of his titles have been adapted for screen, including 1971’s The Day of the Jackal, which was made into a movie in 1973.
Last year Sky released a TV version, which starred Eddie Redmayne as the titular character.
It’s now been announced the novelist died earlier today after a brief illness.
His literary agents Curtis Brown said that the best-selling author was surrounded by his family as he died at home on Monday morning.
Born in Ashford, Kent, in 1938, Forsyth completed his National Service in the Royal Air Force as a pilot.
He then went on to pursue a career in journalism, joining Reuters in 1961 before moving to the BBC four years later.
Working as an assistant diplomatic correspondent, Forsyth began by covering French affairs and the attempted assassination of Charles de Gaulle and then reporting on the Nigerian Civil War.
After quitting his job and working as a freelance reporter, he released his first book, The Biafra Story, in 1969.
Although he went on to write a string of hugely successful novels, he once said he only turned to writing fiction due to needing to make money rathe than any desire to become a novelist.
Reflecting on writing The Day of the Jackal – his first full-length novel – Forsyth said he wrote it because he was ‘skint, stony broke’.
That book debuted to glowing reviews and won the 1972 Best Novel Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America.
Decades later – in 2015 – he revealed that he’d been an informant for MI6 for over 20 years.
Forsyth also narrated several documentaries, including Jesus Christ Airlines, Soldiers: A History of Men in Battle and I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life & Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal.
His last book – 2018’s The Fox – was released in 2018.
Forsyth was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1997 New Year Honours list for services to literature.
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