Jeffrey Archer, one of Britain’s best-selling novelists and a former Conservative politician, died on Monday at the age of 86. HarperCollins, his publisher, said he passed away “suddenly and peacefully at home” between writing sessions.
Archer sold more than 300 million books across a five-decade career. His works, which include Kane and Abel and the Clifton Chronicles, made him a fixture on bestseller lists worldwide. His final novel, Adam and Eve, was published this week. The day before his death, he had been at the Leicester Square Theatre in London signing copies alongside broadcaster Gyles Brandreth.
Archer was born in north London on April 15, 1940. He was elected MP for Louth in 1969 and later served as Conservative Party deputy chairman.
His political career ended in disgrace when he was jailed in 2001 for four years for perjury and perverting the course of justice, having been found to have lied in a libel action he had brought against The Star newspaper, in which he was awarded £500,000 in damages. He was released in 2003 and remained a member of the House of Lords until he retired in 2024.
HarperCollins UK CEO and Archer’s editor, Kate Elton, described him as “the master storyteller and an editor’s dream – phenomenally hard-working, utterly committed to completing draft after draft to get every word as perfect as possible.”
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the news was “a huge shock,” adding that Archer had sent her a message the same morning he died.
Archer and his wife Mary celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this year. They have two sons and five grandchildren.
