Frederick Forsyth, the English novelist known for bestselling thrillers including The Day of the Jackal and The Fourth Protocol, died Monday at 86, Penguin Random House announced.
Forsyth, a native of the English town of Ashford, joined the Royal Air Force and became its youngest pilot at the age of 19. After his military service, he embarked on a career in journalism, reporting for Reuters and the BBC.
He made his literary debut in 1969 with The Biafra Story, a nonfiction account of the Nigerian Civil War that was still being fought at the time. Two years later, he published his first novel, The Day of the Jackal, a spy thriller about an assassin hired to kill French president Charles de Gaulle. The novel was adapted into a 1973 film and into a television series that debuted last year.
He would go on to write more than a dozen more novels, including The Odessa File, The Dogs of War, The Fourth Protocol, The Fist of God, and The Kill List. G.P. Putnam's Sons plans to publish Revenge of Odessa, a sequel to The Odessa File co-written by Forsyth and Tony Kent, in November.
Forsyth’s admirers paid tribute to him on social media. On the platform X, singer and actor Elaine Page wrote, “Total sadness to hear my friend #FrederickForsyth, author, has passed. Wonderful memories of such a marvelous trip to India with his late wife Sandy. His academic knowledge of places, palaces & geography was bar none. He’ll be much missed for so many reasons. RIP dear Freddie.”
And author Tony Parsons posted, “You top man, Frederick Forsyth. Rest in peace and thank you for the cracking stories.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
