Best selling author and Conservative MP Jeffrey Archer suddenly died at the age of 86, as confirmed by his publisher HarperCollins.
Archer died “suddenly and peacefully at his home between writing sessions” on Monday, HarperCollins said.
His editor, Kate Elton, paying tribute called him a “master storyteller and an editor’s dream”.
The writer was due to appear at the Cheltenham Literary Festival this week to discuss Adam and Eve, his final novel in 50 years of storytelling. It was due to be published Tuesday. Politics and Sex were his genre in writing.
The publisher further added that the author had been at the Leicester Square Theatre in London on Sunday signing books for fans with broadcaster Gyles Brandreth. Taking to X, Brandreth said, “Just yesterday I did a show with Jeffrey Archer to celebrate his new novel – he said it was to be his last.”
“He was in the most wonderful, ebullient form and had such a great reception from a packed house. He was funny, engaging and self-deprecating – a great storyteller to the last.”
Archer was born in north London on 15 April 1940 but quickly moved to Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, where his family bought a house from John Cleese’s mother.
In 1969, Archer was elected MP for the Lincolnshire constituency of Louth.
He served as an MP for five years before becoming Conservative Party deputy chairman.
His political career came to a pause in 2001, when he was jailed for four years for perjury and perverting the course of justice. He was found to have lied in the libel action he had brought against the Star newspaper, in which he was awarded £5,000 in damages. He was later released in 2003 and returned to the House of Lords until he retired in 2024.
Later this year, he and his wife Mary celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. The couple has two sons and five grandchildren from their marriage.
Tributes started pouring on X as the news of the writer’s death broke out.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch described Archer’s death as a “huge shock”. Taking to X, she wrote, “I am incredibly saddened to hear this news. He had sent me a lovely message just this morning and was always a great source of encouragement to me personally.”
Former Conservative chancellor Nadhim Zahawi paid tribute to the bestselling author on X, describing him as a “dear friend and extraordinary human being”.