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Frederick Forsyth, the renowned British author best known for his international bestseller The Day of the Jackal, has died at the age of 86.
The news of his passing was confirmed on Monday by his literary agent, Jonathan Lloyd, who revealed that Forsyth died at his home in Jordans, Buckinghamshire. Lloyd described him as one of the “world’s greatest thriller writers.”
“We mourn the passing of one of the world’s greatest thriller writers,” Lloyd stated, paying tribute to the novelist whose journey from debt-ridden journalist to global literary icon inspired millions.
A Prolific Career That Shaped Modern Thriller Writing
Over the course of his career, Forsyth wrote more than 25 books, with global sales exceeding 75 million copies. His body of work includes notable titles such as The Odessa File (1972), The Dogs of War (1974), The Devil’s Alternative, The Fist of God, Icon, The Veteran, Avenger, The Afghan, The Cobra, and The Kill List. His final novel, The Fox, was published in 2018.
Bill Scott-Kerr, one of his publishers, highlighted Forsyth’s enduring influence on the genre: “Still read by millions across the world, Freddie’s thrillers define the genre and are still the benchmark to which contemporary writers aspire. He leaves behind a peerless legacy which will continue to excite and entertain for years to come.”
From Struggle to Global Success
Forsyth’s path to fame began in the midst of financial hardship. In his early thirties, unemployed and heavily in debt, he decided to write a novel to improve his situation. As he recounted in his 2015 autobiography The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue: “There are several ways of making quick money, but in the general list, writing a novel rates well below robbing a bank.”
Despite the odds, he wrote The Day of the Jackal in just 35 days in 1971. The gripping story, which follows a British assassin assigned to kill French President Charles de Gaulle in 1963, became an instant success and was later adapted into a feature film. Its impact even extended to real-world events, contributing to the nickname “Carlos the Jackal” for Venezuelan militant Illich Ramirez Sanchez. In November 2024, the story was reimagined in a television series starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch.
Real-Life Espionage and Global Reporting
Forsyth’s fiction was often informed by his remarkable life experiences. He began his career as an RAF pilot before transitioning to journalism. Fluent in multiple languages—including French, German, Spanish, and Russian—he joined Reuters in 1961, with assignments in Paris and East Berlin during the Cold War. He later worked as a war correspondent for Reuters and the BBC.
In 2015, Forsyth revealed he had covertly worked with the British intelligence agency MI6 for over 20 years. According to his autobiography, he was first approached in 1968 by an MI6 handler, “Ronnie,” who tasked him with operating as an asset inside Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War. In another account, Forsyth described a 1973 mission in communist East Germany, where he was instructed to collect a package from a Russian colonel in a Dresden museum toilet.
Although unpaid for his intelligence work, Forsyth said the agency assisted his research and reviewed his manuscripts to prevent sensitive disclosures—further contributing to the realism that defined his writing.
Personal Life and Later Years
Forsyth left the BBC after growing disillusioned with its bureaucracy and what he saw as biased coverage of African issues during the postcolonial era. In later years, he became known for his right-leaning political views, regularly contributing columns to the Daily Express, often criticizing the European Union.
His personal life was marked by both accomplishment and difficulty. He was married twice—first to Carole Cunningham, with whom he had two sons, Stuart and Shane. They divorced in 1988. He later married Sandy Molloy in 1994. Despite early success, Forsyth faced financial setbacks, including significant losses in an investment scam during the 1980s, which led him to continue writing to maintain financial stability.
Frederick Forsyth’s legacy endures as one of the most influential voices in thriller literature, with a career that combined journalistic insight, espionage experience, and narrative brilliance.