British author Jeffrey Archer dies aged 86

British author Jeffrey Archer has died at the age of 86, his publisher HarperCollins announced on Monday, according to AFP.

The bestselling author died “suddenly and peacefully at home, between writing sessions,” HarperCollins said, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

His editor, Kate Elton, described Archer as “a master storyteller and a publisher’s dream.”

The author had been due to appear at the Cheltenham Literature Festival this week to discuss “Adam and Eve,” which he described as his final novel.

The book was scheduled to be released on Tuesday. British tabloid The Sun reported that Archer had signed books for fans at an event in London on Sunday.

Archer revealed in 2014 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The author led a life almost as eventful as those of the characters in his novels, which have sold more than 300 million copies, according to his website.

Despite his literary success and ability to rebuild his career after setbacks, Archer’s public life was also marked by a series of controversies.

Politics and sex frequently featured in his novels, but controversies involving both also affected his political career.

Archer was eventually tried for perjury and perverting the course of justice after a friend admitted providing him with a false alibi in connection with a 1987 libel case against the Daily Star.

Archer had sued the tabloid over allegations that he had had sex with a prostitute and was awarded £500,000 in damages.

Archer rose through the ranks of Britain’s Conservative Party, but his parliamentary career came to an abrupt end in 1974 when he faced near-bankruptcy following the collapse of a Canadian industrial cleaning company in which he had invested.

He later drew inspiration from his experiences for his first book, “Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less,” published in 1975. It became the first in a series of bestselling novels set against the worlds of high finance and politics.

Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, his books brought him considerable wealth. Archer continued to pursue a return to politics while using his connections and fundraising abilities to raise millions of pounds for the Conservative Party.

In 1985, then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher appointed him deputy chairman of the Conservative Party.

A year later, however, he resigned over what he described as an “error of judgment” after it emerged that he had given £2,000 to prostitute Monica Coghlan. Archer maintained that the payment had only been intended to help her financially.

In 1992, Thatcher’s successor, John Major, recommended Archer for a peerage, giving him a seat in the House of Lords.

In 1999, Archer launched a campaign to become the Conservative Party’s candidate for the newly elected position of mayor of London.

Several months later, however, it emerged that he had asked his friend Ted Francis to provide a false alibi in the Daily Star libel case. Archer withdrew his candidacy and was expelled from the party.

In 2001, he was convicted of perjury and perverting the course of justice and sentenced to four years in prison. He was released on parole in 2003.

Photo: Instagram/jeffrey_archer_official