Frederick Forsyth, the renowned British author best known for the political thriller The Day of the Jackal, has passed away at the age of 86 following a brief illness, his literary agent confirmed on Monday.

Forsyth died peacefully at home early Monday morning, surrounded by his family, according to his agent Jonathan Lloyd.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of the world’s greatest thriller writers,” Lloyd said in a statement.

Born in Kent, England, in 1938, Forsyth began his career as a pilot with the Royal Air Force before transitioning into journalism as a foreign correspondent. His coverage of the 1962 assassination attempt on French President Charles de Gaulle became the basis for The Day of the Jackal, which catapulted him to global acclaim upon its release in 1971.

The novel was adapted into a 1973 film starring Edward Fox and more recently into a television series featuring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch.

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In a 2015 interview with the BBC, Forsyth revealed that he had also carried out assignments for the British intelligence agency MI6 during his reporting years, beginning with his coverage of the Nigerian civil war in the 1960s. Though unpaid, Forsyth said it was difficult to refuse intelligence requests during that era. “The Cold War was in full swing,” he remarked.

Over his prolific career, Forsyth authored more than 25 titles, including The Afghan, The Kill List, The Dogs of War, and The Fist of God. His works have sold over 75 million copies worldwide, Lloyd noted.

Bill Scott-Kerr, his publisher, announced that a posthumous release titled Revenge of Odessa—a sequel to Forsyth’s 1974 novel The Odessa File, co-written with thriller writer Tony Kent—will be published in August.

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“Freddie’s thrillers have long set the standard in the genre and remain essential reading for fans around the world,” Scott-Kerr said.

Source: With inputs from agency