{
  "id": 12262353,
  "title": "Best-selling British author Jeffrey Archer dies at 86",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/best-selling-british-author-jeffrey-archer-dies-at-86-12262353",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-05T23:43:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RTHK News - Finance",
    "slug": "rthk-news-finance",
    "url": "https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1872822-20261006.htm"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "British author Jeffrey Archer, a prolific novelist and former Conservative MP, passed away suddenly at the age of 86. His publisher, HarperCollins, confirmed his death in a statement. Archer was known for his masterful storytelling and his ability to bounce back from setbacks, selling over 300 million copies of his novels worldwide. Despite his literary success, Archer's personal life was fraught with scandal, including a perjury conviction stemming from a claim he made in a 1987 libel case. He had previously sued the Daily Star newspaper for £500,000 after winning a case where his friend admitted to supplying a false alibi. Archer's career in politics was marked by ambition and setbacks, with his parliamentary career ending in 1974 due to financial troubles. Despite his resignation in 1986, he was recommended for a peerage by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and later attempted to become the Tory candidate for London mayor in 1999. Archer's wife, Mary, a scientist, was by his side through his many trials, and he retired from the House of Lords in 2024.",
  "summary": "British author Jeffrey Archer, who penned a series of best-selling novels, served as a Conservative MP and was convicted of perjury, died suddenly at 86, his publisher HarperCollins said. Archer died \"suddenly and peacefully at his home between writing sessions\" on Monday, HarperCollins said. His editor, Kate Elton, called him a \"master storyteller and an editor's dream.\" The writer had been due…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC News",
        "title": "Jeffrey Archer: successful novelist, disgraced politician and convicted liar",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/jeffrey-archer-successful-novelist-disgraced-politician-and-convicted",
        "published": "2026-10-05T20:39:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Sydney Morning Herald",
        "title": "British author and disgraced politician Jeffrey Archer dies aged 86",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/british-author-and-disgraced-politician-jeffrey-archer-dies-aged-86-12241910",
        "published": "2026-10-05T21:26:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Age",
        "title": "British author and disgraced politician Jeffrey Archer dies aged 86",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/british-author-and-disgraced-politician-jeffrey-archer-dies-aged-86",
        "published": "2026-10-05T21:26:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Best-selling British author Jeffrey Archer dies at 86",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/best-selling-british-author-jeffrey-archer-dies-at-86",
        "published": "2026-10-05T22:29:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "Jeffrey Archer, British author and politician, dies at 86 ‘between writing sessions’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/jeffrey-archer-british-author-and-politician-dies-at-86-between",
        "published": "2026-10-05T22:35:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Best-selling British author Jeffrey Archer dies aged 86",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/best-selling-british-author-jeffrey-archer-dies-aged-86",
        "published": "2026-10-05T23:36:30.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Le Monde English",
        "title": "Best-selling British author and fomer Conservative politician Jeffrey Archer dies, aged 86",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/best-selling-british-author-and-fomer-conservative-politician-jeffrey",
        "published": "2026-10-06T01:14:53.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}