Best-selling author Frederick Forsyth, known for thriller novels including The Day Of The Jackal, has died at the age of 86, his agent has said.
“We mourn the passing of one of the world’s greatest thriller writers,” Jonathan Lloyd said in a statement. Forsyth published more than 25 books, also including The Odessa File and The Dogs of War, and sold 75 million books around the world, he said.
His publisher Bill ScottKerr said: “Still read by millions across the world, Freddie’s thrillers define the genre and are still the benchmark to which contemporary writers aspire.
He leaves behind a peerless legacy which will continue to excite and entertain for years to come.” Born in Kent in 1938, Forsyth joined the RAF at the age of 18 before becoming a war correspondent for the BBC and Reuters.
He revealed in 2015 he also worked for British intelligence agency MI6 for more than 20 years. Many of his fictional plots drew on his real-life experiences around the world.
