David Cornwell, a British spy-turned-novelist, passed away at 89 on Sunday, 13 December. In a brief statement, the family said he had died of pneumonia, reported Reuters.
The author, who used the pseudonym John le Carre, has a career of six decades, spanning 25 novels, 1 memoir and sales of over 60 million books worldwide, reported AP.
The writer, best known for his Cold War espionage novels "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold", is survived by his wife, Jane, and four sons.
The news of Cornwell’s death was shared by his literary agent, the Curtis Brown Group, who said the author passed away in southwest English due to an illness.
The CEO of Curtis Brown Group, Jonny Geller, said, "We have lost a great figure of English literature, a man of great wit, kindness, humour and intelligence. I have lost a friend, a mentor and an inspiration”, reported Reuters.
Tributes and condolences poured in from authors. Margaret Atwood tweeted, "Very sorry to hear this. His Smiley novels are key to understanding the mid-20th century..."
Stephen King called him "a literary giant and a humanitarian spirit".
Historical fiction writer Robert Harris said le Carré, who chronicled the world of Cold War spies, was "one of the great post-war British novelists".
(With inputs from AP and Reuters)
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