British writer best known for his Cold War espionage novels, David Cornwell, better known by his pen name John le Carre, has died at 89, his agent and family announced on Sunday.
The former British intelligence officer was widely popular for his thriller novels like “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold”, which touched on his real-life experiences as a spy during the Cold War (1947–1991).
During his life, he wrote 25 novels and one memoir in a career spanning six decades, selling 60 million books worldwide.
His wife of nearly 50 years, Jane, and sons Nicholas, Timothy, Stephen and Simon, in a statement on Sunday said Cornwell died on Saturday night after a short battle with pneumonia.
Thanking staff at the hospital in Cornwall, southwest England, for their care, they said;
We all grieve deeply his passing. We know they share our sadness.
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” was adapted for television in 1979, with Alec Guinness starring as the enigmatic spycatcher George Smiley, and became a classic. Gary Oldman reprised the role in the 2011 film, winning an Oscar the following year.
Cornwell studied in Bern, Switzerland, and Oxford, England, before serving in the British intelligence services during the Cold War.
He decided to publish his first novel “Call for the Dead” in 1961 under the pseudonym.
Cornwell later quit the service and eventually went on to write 25 novels including “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and “The Night Manager”, some of which were adapted to film.
Robert Harris, one of Britain’s best-known historical fiction writers, called Cornwell “one of the great post-war British novelists and an unforgettable, unique character”.
May his soul Rest In Peace.
