Frederick Forsyth, the acclaimed British author best known for his political thrillers including The Day of the Jackal, has died at the age of 86.
His literary agency confirmed he passed away peacefully at home following a brief illness, surrounded by family.
Forsyth began his career as a journalist, working for Reuters and the BBC. His experiences reporting from conflict zones—particularly during the Nigerian Civil War—would later inspire the realism and depth of his fiction. In 2015, he revealed he had also worked as an undercover agent for MI6 during his time as a foreign correspondent.
His first novel, The Day of the Jackal, published in 1971, was written in just over a month and became an international bestseller. The book, which detailed a fictional assassination attempt on French President Charles de Gaulle, set a new standard for the political thriller genre and was later adapted into a successful film.
Forsyth went on to write numerous other bestselling novels, including The Odessa File, The Dogs of War, The Fourth Protocol, and The Kill List. Over the course of his career, he sold more than 75 million books worldwide, many of which were adapted for film and television. In 1997, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to literature.
Despite announcing his retirement from writing thrillers in 2016, Forsyth remained active in the media, contributing columns and commentaries on global affairs until recent years.
Paying tribute, his long-time literary agent Jonathan Lloyd said: “We mourn the passing of one of the world’s greatest thriller writers. Only a few weeks ago, I sat with him and was reminded of an extraordinary life, well lived.”
Frederick Forsyth is survived by his children and a literary legacy that reshaped the thriller genre with journalistic precision and gripping authenticity.
