Jeffrey Archer has died peacefully and unexpectedly at his home at the age of 86, his publishers, HarperCollins, have confirmed.
The internationally acclaimed author died “between writing sessions”, just 24 hours before the planned publication of his latest novel, Adam And Eve, HarperCollins said.
Archer’s books sold more than 300 million copies across 115 countries. He is survived by his wife, Dame Mary, 81, a distinguished scientist; their sons William, 54, and James, 52; and five grandchildren.
Lord Archer represented Louth in Parliament from 1969 until 1974 before returning to public life in the House of Lords, where he became a life peer in 1992.
After losing his Commons seat in the 1970s, he embarked on a literary career. His 1979 novel Kane And Abel became a global bestseller and has sold more than 30 million copies.
He later revived his political ambitions, becoming deputy chairman of the Conservative Party in 1985 during Margaret Thatcher’s premiership.
In 1999, Archer announced that he would seek the Conservative nomination for Mayor of London, winning the public support of Baroness Thatcher and former prime minister John Major.
In July, Lord Archer and Dame Mary marked their 60th wedding anniversary with a garden celebration attended by 321 friends at their second home, the Old Vicarage in Grantchester, Cambridge.
The couple also had a penthouse overlooking the Thames and a home in Majorca, where Archer wrote many of his novels.
The author’s wealth was estimated at approximately £200 million this year, although he declined to discuss the figure during an interview with the Daily Mail in September.
His final interview with the Daily Mail took place last month, when he reflected on his extraordinary career and spoke about his health.
Jeffrey Archer, pictured alongside his wife Mary, has died “suddenly and peacefully at home” aged 86, publishers HarperCollins have confirmed.
Lord Archer is pictured with Margaret Thatcher in 1986. His novels have sold more than 300 million copies in 115 countries.
The bestselling novelist is survived by his wife, Dame Mary, 81, an eminent scientist; sons William, 54, and James, 52; and five grandchildren.
After being diagnosed with cancer in 2013, Lord Archer of Weston-super-Mare underwent surgery to remove his prostate. He later said the operation left him permanently impotent.
“I’d rather have a life. ‘Fertile and dead’ — it’s not much of a choice, is it?” he said previously.
Adam And Eve was intended to be Archer’s final novel. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “I’m 86. I don’t think I could do it again. So why not go now?”
ALSO READ: Mother Dies Holding Photo of Her Four Children After Arson Attack
He explained that writing was demanding, revealing that he composed every word by hand with a felt-tip pen on a 32-line writing pad. Over two years, he produced 18 handwritten drafts and admitted he did not know how to switch on a computer.
In September, he said: “I find old age tiresome. I don’t think I’d like to live to 100. I have a hip problem.
“I can’t move as quickly as I’d like, but thankfully Mary and I both seem to be firing on all cylinders mentally.”
‘Alzheimer’s is my biggest dread, so I test my memory all the time; for names, places, events.’
‘I’m conscious that time is precious now’, Mary – who previously overcame bladder cancer – told the Daily Mail in September.
‘We must use it well and I’d rather spend our old age together than apart. We’ve both been through cancer.’
After suffering financial difficulties following the end of his first stint in politics in 1974, Jeffrey and Mary were saved first by her offer of a teaching job at Cambridge University, and later by his £2million advance for Kane And Abel.
Lord Archer was forced to resign as deputy chairman of the Conservatives after he was accused of paying money to a sex worker.
He won a libel case in 1987 over the claims and was awarded large damages.
Lord Archer’s infidelities were publicly documented during and after his subsequent trial for perjury and perverting the course of justice in 2001, for which he was found guilty and served two years in prison.
Lord Archer pictured with Thatcher in 1986. He was the MP for Louth between 1969 and 1974 and later entered the House of Lords in 1992
The novelist pictured addressing the Oxford Union in 2017
Lord Archer was forced to resign as deputy chairman of the Conservatives after he was accused of paying money to a sex worker but won a libel case in 1987 over the claims
He famously had a three-year affair with the late actress Sally Farmiloe, and another with his then secretary Andrina Colquhoun.
Dame Mary once said she’d never considered divorcing her husband but had come close to murdering him.
In his interview with the Daily Mail, he reflected on ambitions he never realised, saying: ‘I wish I’d won an Olympic gold and become Mayor of London.’
Lord Archer’s dream of running the capital was ended when it emerged he had lied in the libel case.