London (United Kingdom), 9 June (LaPresse/AP) – Frederick Forsyth, author of “The Day of the Jackal” and other best-selling thrillers, has died after a short illness, his literary agent said on Monday. He was 86. Jonathan Lloyd, his agent, said Forsyth died at home in the early hours of Monday, surrounded by his family. ‘We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers,’ Lloyd said. Forsyth served as a Royal Air Force pilot before becoming a foreign correspondent and novelist. “The Day of the Jackal”, published in 1971, brought him worldwide fame. The political thriller about a professional assassin was made into a film in 1973 and, more recently, into a television series starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch. He wrote more than 25 books, including “The Afghan”, “The Kill List” and “The Hand of God”, which have sold over 75 million copies, Lloyd said.