British writer, politician and former convict Jeffrey Archer died at his home in London at the age of 86. His death was announced by publisher HarperCollins. The New York Times reports, UNN reports.
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According to the publication, Archer became famous for thrillers and novels about wealthy and influential people. His books have sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide. One of his best-known works was the 1979 novel "Kane and Abel," which has sold more than 50 million copies since its publication and topped The New York Times bestseller list. Archer's first novel, "Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less," was published in 1976. Before becoming a writer, he worked in public relations and was a politician.
"Where I come from, in Western Australia, we say: 'Tell them a story, (...) and make them turn the pages, and you can't go wrong,'" Archer explained about his approach to writing books.
Jeffrey Archer was a Member of the House of Commons and deputy chairman of Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party. He later took a seat in the House of Lords with the title of Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare.
In 2001, he was convicted of perjury.
"A political Houdini, he survived many twists and turns, including a 2001 conviction for perjury, when he was found guilty of fabricating diaries and inventing a story to win a court case over whether he had slept with a prostitute whom he had paid to keep silent," the publication writes.
Despite the political scandal, Archer continued his writing career and published more than 40 books.
"Storytellers are very rare, but they arouse a great deal of envy. The people who survive are storytellers," he told writer Anthony Horowitz in an interview in 2011.
Jeffrey Archer died on Monday in London. His final novel, "Adam and Eve," was due to be released the following day.