British thriller writer Frederick Forsyth, the author of “The Day of The Jackal”, has died at the age of 86, his literary agents Curtis Brown said on Monday.

“We mourn the passing of one of the world’s greatest thriller writers,” his agent Jonathan Lloyd said. Forsyth died at home on Monday morning surrounded by his family following a brief illness, according to Curtis Brown.

A prolific writer, Forsyth wrote over 25 books and sold over 75 million copies worldwide.

Forsyth’s bestsellers also included “The Odessa File” (1972) and “The Dogs of War” (1974).

“Only a few weeks ago I sat with him as we watched a new and moving documentary of his life … and was reminded of an extraordinary life, well lived,” said Lloyd.

“After serving as one of the youngest ever RAF pilots, he turned to journalism, using his gift for languages in German, French and Russian to become a foreign correspondent in Biafra (in Nigeria),” Lloyd said.

“Appalled at what he saw and using his experience during a stint as a secret service agent, he wrote his first and perhaps most famous novel, ‘The Day Of The Jackal’, and instantly became a global best-selling author,” he added.

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Based on a plot to kill France’s President Charles de Gaulle in 1963, “The Day of The Jackal” was turned into a 1973 film and more recently a television series starring Eddie Redmayne.

A sequel to “The Odessa File”, entitled “Revenge Of Odessa”, on which Forsythe worked with thriller writer Tony Kent is to be published in August, his publisher Bill Scott-Kerr said.

“His journalistic background brought a rigour and a metronomic efficiency to his working practice and his nose for and understanding of a great story kept his novels both thrillingly contemporary and fresh,” Scott-Kerr added.

AFP