Frederick Forsyth, the British author of The Day of the Jackal and other best-selling thrillers, died following a short illness, according to his literary agency on Monday. He was 86 years old.
Jonathan Lloyd, his agent, stated that Forsyth died at home early Monday surrounded by his family.
We lament the loss of one of the world's finest thriller writers, Lloyd said.
According to Forsyth, he published more than 25 books, including The Odessa File and The Dogs of War, and sold 75 million copies worldwide.
Luck played a significant role in Forsyth's career.
Forsyth's most well-known piece was about a fictitious assassination plot on former French President Charles de Gaulle by rightwing extremists 35 days after he fell on bad times.
The Jackal was eventually transformed into a successful film starring Edward Fox as the gunman. Last year, Netflix released a remake starring Eddie Redmayne.
Forsyth credited much of his success to luck, recalling how a bullet narrowly missed him while he was reporting on the bloody Nigerian civil war between 1967 and 1970.
"I've had the most amazing luck my entire life," he told British newspaper The Times last November.
The correct location, time, person, connection, promotion, and even turning my head away when the bullet passed, he stated.
Final novel to be published in August.
Forsyth was a retired journalist and pilot who had many of his stories adapted into films.
Following a stint as one of the RAF's youngest pilots, he pursued a career in journalism, utilizing his linguistic skills in German, French, and Russian to work as a foreign correspondent in Biafra (in Nigeria), according to Lloyd's announcement of Forsyth's death.
Appalled by what he witnessed, he drew on his experience as a secret service agent to write his first and possibly most well-known book, The Day of the Jackal.
According to his publisher, Bill ScottKerr, a follow-up to The Odessa File, named Revenge Of Odessa, which he coauthored with Tony Kent, will be released in August.
ScottKerr's journalistic experience gave his writing style a rigor and metronomic efficiency, and his passion for and comprehension of a good story kept his books both current and new, according to ScottKerr.
Forsyth had two boys from his first wife. His second wife, Sandy, died last year.
