GUWAHATI: British novelist and former Conservative politician Jeffrey Archer has died at the age of 86, his publisher HarperCollins said on Monday, October 5.
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Archer, whose literary career spanned several decades, sold more than 300 million books across 119 countries. He was best known for fast-paced novels including his 1976 debut, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, and the 1979 bestseller Kane & Abel.
His final book, Adam and Eve, is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, according to reports. HarperCollins said Archer died “suddenly and peacefully at home” on Monday between writing sessions.
The publisher said Archer had continued working and promoting the book in recent radio appearances. He was also due to appear at the Cheltenham Literature Festival later this week.
Archer featured on the Sunday Times bestseller list for 14 years and five months and on the New York Times bestseller list for five-and-a-half years. He was also the only author to have topped the Sunday Times bestseller list in fiction, short stories and non-fiction.
“His readers meant everything to him, and just yesterday he met and signed books for hundreds of fans at a sold-out event at the Leicester Square Theatre in London,” HarperCollins said.
Born in north London on April 15, 1940, Archer later moved to Weston-super-Mare in Somerset. He entered politics in 1969 after being elected as the Conservative MP for Louth. He served in the House of Commons for five years and later became deputy chairman of the Conservative Party.
His political career was disrupted by a criminal conviction. Archer was sentenced to four years in prison in 2001 after being found guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice in connection with a libel case against the Daily Star. He had earlier been awarded £500,000 in damages in the case.
Archer was released in 2003 and later returned to the House of Lords, where he remained until retiring in 2024.
HarperCollins said Archer and his wife, Mary, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this year. The couple have two sons and five grandchildren.
