Best-selling author Jack Higgins has died at the age of 92, his publisher has confirmed.
Higgins, whose real name is Henry Patterson, has died at his home in Jersey, surrounded by his family, a HarperCollins statement said.
The author, who writes under his pseudonym, has published 85 books in his lifetime and is best known for his 1975 novel The Eagle Landed, which has sold over 50 million copies.
The book tells the story of a fictional Nazi plot to kidnap Sir Winston Churchill during World War II.
In 1976, the novel was turned into a film starring Sir Michael Kane, Robert Duvall and Donald Sutherland.
Other popular books he has written include Comes the Dark Stranger, Hell is Too Crowded and To Catch a King.
Patterson’s latest book, The Midnight Bell, was published in 2017 and became a Sunday Times bestseller.
Born in Newcastle in 1929 to an English father and a mother from Northern Ireland, he was raised in Belfast before returning to England to live in Leeds.
After two years of National Service, he qualified as a teacher, writing on the side to earn some extra money.
Harper Collins said that at the time of his latest novel, they called it simply “Legend.”
In a statement, CEO Charlie Redmain said Patterson was a “classic thriller writer.”
“I’ve been a fan of Jack Higgins for longer than I can remember. He was a writer of classic thrillers: instinctive, tough, ruthless,” he said.
“The Eagle has landed his other books on Liam Devlin, his later series on Sean Dylan and so many others have been and remain absolutely undeniable.
“Being part of his publication, even part of his career, was a privilege – his death marks the end of an era.”
He is survived by four children from his first marriage – Sarah, Ruth, Sean and Hannah – and his wife Denise.
Jack Higgins: Thriller writer best known for “The Eagle Landed” Dies at 92 | United Kingdom news
