Ferderick Forsyth, the best-selling author of The Day of The Jackal, has died aged 86.
Forsyth's death was confirmed by his literary agents Curtis Brown, who said that the writer passed away following a brief illness.
Born in 1938, Mr Forsyth initially began his career in the Royal Air Force in 1956. After two years, he left to pursue a career in journalism.
He went on to cover many international stories including the attempted assassination of French general Charles de Gaulle, which was the inspiration behind his 1971 best seller, The Day of The Jackal. The film starred Edward Fox as the Jackal in 1973.
Last year, the film aired as a TV adaption for Sky Atlantic, starring Eddie Redmayne as the assassin and Lashana Lynch.
In tribute, Forsyth's agent, Jonathan Lloyd said: "We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers".
He continued: "Only a few weeks ago I sat with him as we watched a new and moving documentary of his life - In My Own Words, to be released later this year on BBC1 - and was reminded of an extraordinary life, well lived".
"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.
"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 (1972), and instantly became a global bestselling author.
"He went on to write more than 25 books (many of which were made into films) that have sold over 75 million copies", he added. "He will be greatly missed by his family, his friends, all of us at Curtis Brown and of course his millions of fans around the world - though his books will of course live on forever".
