Frederick Forsyth, the author of The Day of The Jackal, has died at the age of 86 after a brief illness, his literary agents Curtis Brown said.

The best-selling author was surrounded by his family as he died at home on Monday morning, Curtis Brown added.

Jonathan Lloyd, his agent, said: "We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers.

"Only a few weeks ago I sat with him as we watched a new and moving documentary of his life - In My Own Words, to be released later this year on BBC1 - and was reminded of an extraordinary life, well lived.

"After serving as one of the youngest ever RAF pilots, he turned to journalism, using his gift for languages in German, French and Russian to become a foreign correspondent in Biafra.

"Appalled at what he saw and using his experience during a stint as a secret service agent, he wrote his first and perhaps most famous novel, The Day of the Jackal (1972), and instantly became a global bestselling author.

"He went on to write more than 25 books (many of which were made into films) that have sold over 75 million copies.

"He will be greatly missed by his family, his friends, all of us at Curtis Brown and of course his millions of fans around the world - though his books will of course live on forever."

Born in Ashford, Kent, in 1938, Mr Forsyth - known to his friends as "Freddie" - began his career in the Royal Air Force in 1956 before leaving after two years to pursue a career in journalism.

He covered international stories and the attempted assassination of French general Charles de Gaulle which provided inspiration for his best-selling novel, The Day Of The Jackal, which was published in 1971 and turned into a film starring Edward Fox as the Jackal in 1973.

Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne took on the mantle of the elusive assassin last year in a TV adaption for Sky Atlantic, also starring The Woman King actress Lashana Lynch.

In 2000, Forsyth became the first high-profile British writer to agree to publish a book exclusively on the internet.

In his 2015 memoir, The Outsider: My Life In Intrigue, he revealed that had extensive involvement with MI6.

Mr Forsyth's publisher Bill Scott-Kerr said: "Transworld’s long relationship with Frederick Forsyth began in 1972 with the Corgi paperback publication of The Day Of The Jackal.

"With its never-before-read ice-cool writing, iconic jacket and a protagonist for the ages, The Day Of The Jackal was an instant bestseller across the world and immediately propelled Freddie into a globally successful career which would span the next 50 years across books, films and most recently television.

"Transworld became his hardback publisher with The Fist Of God in 1994 and have published all of his subsequent books including a collection of short stories, The Veteran, a novel which was adapted into a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, The Phantom Of Manhattan and an autobiography, The Outsider.

"In August 2025, we will publish Revenge Of Odessa, his collaborative sequel to his 1974 classic, The Odessa File, on which he worked with bestselling thriller writer Tony Kent.

"Having long held The Day Of The Jackal as the blueprint of the modern thriller, I was honoured to become his editor for Avenger in 2002 and have remained so ever since.

"Working with Freddie has been one of the great pleasures of my professional life, perhaps never more so when he pulled back the curtain on his eventful life in his autobiography, The Outsider, one of the most entertaining and fascinating nonfiction books you could hope to read.

"The flow of brilliant plots and ideas aside, he was the most professional writer an editor could hope for. His journalistic background brought a rigour and a metronomic efficiency to his working practice and his nose for and understanding of a great story kept his novels both thrillingly contemporary and fresh.

"It was a joy and an education to watch him at work. Still read by millions across the world, Freddie’s thrillers define the genre and are still the benchmark to which contemporary writers aspire.

"He leaves behind a peerless legacy which will continue to excite and entertain for years to come."