Dhaka, June 10 -- Frederick Forsyth, the renowned British author best known for the political thriller The Day of the Jackal, has passed away at the age of 86 following a brief illness, his literary agent confirmed on Monday.

Forsyth died peacefully at home early Monday morning, surrounded by his family, according to his agent Jonathan Lloyd.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of the world's greatest thriller writers," Lloyd said in a statement.

Born in Kent, England, in 1938, Forsyth began his career as a pilot with the Royal Air Force before transitioning into journalism as a foreign correspondent. His coverage of the 1962 assassination attempt on French President Charles de Gaulle became the basis for The Day of the Jackal, ...