Bestselling Novelist and Former Politician Jeffrey Archer Dies Aged 86

BBC News Entertainment and Deadline reported that bestselling author and former politician Jeffrey Archer died at the age of 86 on Monday. His publisher, HarperCollins, confirmed in a statement that he died suddenly and peacefully at home between writing sessions. [1][2]

According to BBC News Entertainment, Archer sold more than 300 million books during his five-decade writing career, which included titles such as Kane and Abel and the Clifton Chronicles. Deadline noted that a cause of death was not disclosed. His final book, Adam and Eve, is scheduled for release this month, BBC News Entertainment reported. [1][2]

Before becoming a full-time novelist, Archer served as a Conservative Member of Parliament. BBC News Entertainment reported that he was jailed for perjury in 2001 after he was found guilty of lying and cheating in his 1987 libel case against the Daily Star newspaper. [1]

Archer was born in north London on 15 April 1940. He served as the Member of Parliament for Louth from 1969 to 1974, but he did not seek re-election after almost going bankrupt. He subsequently revived his fortunes as an author, with his 1979 novel Kane and Abel selling an estimated 34 million copies globally. [1][9][10]