Jeffrey Archer, bestselling British author and former politician, dies aged 86
HarperCollins confirmed that the ‘Kane & Abel’ author died ‘suddenly and peacefully at home’ on Monday
Jeffrey Archer, the bestselling British author and former politician, has died aged 86.
Archer’s publisher HarperCollins confirmed that the Kane & Abel author died “suddenly and peacefully at home” on Monday. No cause of death was disclosed.
Archer sold more than 300 million books during a writing career spanning five decades.
HarperCollins said he was the only author to have achieved No. 1 bestseller status in fiction, short stories and non-fiction.
His novels were adapted for television and film, including Kane & Abel, the 1985 CBS miniseries starring Peter Strauss and Sam Neill.
ITV adapted First Among Equals in 1986, while the BBC adapted Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less in 1990.
Archer was also a Conservative politician and served as the party’s deputy chairman before becoming a member of the House of Lords.
His political career was disrupted in 2001 when he was imprisoned after being convicted of lying and cheating in a 1987 libel case involving The Daily Star.
“Jeffrey’s career is the stuff of publishing legend,” HarperCollins said in a statement, according to BBC News. The publisher highlighted his extensive bestseller-list record and described him as “the master storyteller”.
Archer’s final book, Adam and Eve, is due to be released this month.
His website also states that Paramount was developing an adaptation of Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less for its 50th anniversary in 2026.
