• Frederick Forsyth, best known for his novel The Day of the Jackal, died at 86 after a brief illness.
• He authored over 25 books, selling over 75 million copies globally.
• His life as a pilot and MI6 operative greatly influenced his writing style and plot realism.
• Forsyth's breakthrough novel, The Day of the Jackal, was published in 1971 and has been adapted into several films.
• A sequel to The Odessa File, titled Revenge of Odessa, is set to be released in August 2025.

Frederick Forsyth, the acclaimed British author of The Day of the Jackal, has passed away at the age of 86, according to his agent. Forsyth died at home, surrounded by family, following a brief illness. "We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers," stated Jonathan Lloyd, his agent, reflecting on Forsyth's illustrious career that transformed the thriller genre Indiatimes, Le Monde, and South China Morning Post.

Forsyth’s literary influence spanned across over 25 published works that sold more than 75 million copies worldwide. He gained international fame with his debut novel The Day of the Jackal, published in 1971 and inspired by the 1962 assassination attempt on French President Charles de Gaulle. The book quickly became a bestseller and was later adapted into a successful film NPR, BBC, and Al Jazeera.

A former Royal Air Force pilot and war correspondent, Forsyth's real-life experiences greatly informed his writing style, merging factual narrative with thrilling fiction. His time as a secret MI6 agent while covering the Nigerian Civil War brought a unique depth to his storytelling. Forsyth himself stated, "the research was the big parallel" to his journalistic work, which made his novels distinctly engaging South China Morning Post and Le Monde.

Forsyth's other notable literary achievements include The Odessa File (1972) and The Dogs of War (1974). He was also known for his detailed research methodology, often integrating real historical events into his plotlines, which helped define the contemporary thriller genre. His publisher, Bill Scott-Kerr, emphasized that Forsyth's thrillers "define the genre and are still the benchmark to which contemporary writers aspire" BBC and Indiatimes.

His last completed work, a sequel to The Odessa File, titled Revenge of Odessa, is scheduled for release in August 2025, showcasing his enduring legacy in the literary world. Forsyth will be remembered not only for his gripping stories but also for his unique ability to blend reality with fiction, echoing his remarkable life as a writer, pilot, and intelligence operative Indiatimes, Indiatimes, and Al Jazeera.