Lord Jeffrey Archer has died suddenly and peacefully at home at the age of 86, his publisher HarperCollins confirmed in a statement. The bestselling author and former Conservative MP passed away on Monday.
Career and final novel
Lord Archer served as a Tory politician for five years before becoming the party's deputy chairman. He also built a successful career as a novelist, selling more than 300 million copies worldwide. His final novel, Adam and Eve, was due to be published on Tuesday (October 6).
Tributes on Good Morning Britain
Tributes were paid during the latest episode of Good Morning Britain, hosted by Susanna Reid and Ed Balls. The hosts spoke to Baroness Ayesha Hazarika, who became friends with Lord Archer after they both appeared on the show together.
Reflecting on their friendship, Ayesha said: "We always would have very, very good, very robust, spirited debate, but always with a lot of good humour." She added: "He became a bit of a sort of father figure to me."
Recalling advice he gave her, she said: "To do things. To not hold back and put yourself forward into things." She also shared a poignant conversation about his final novel, saying: "His last novel, Adam and Eve, is beautiful. It's a love story that spans time and class and the war generation, and it's a history lesson. It's a love letter to that generation and all they sacrificed."
She described telling him on Sunday: "Jeffrey, you can't put down your pen, this is so good, it moved me so much." He replied: "No, Ayesha, you know what, when I wrote the final word, I knew that I could never produce anything as good as this. And I knew my time was done, and I knew my time as a writer was over."
Political tributes
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also paid tribute, describing his death as "a huge shock" and saying she was "incredibly saddened to hear this news". In a social media post, she added: "He had sent me a lovely message just this [Monday] morning and was always a great source of encouragement to me personally. I can't believe he's gone."
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 6am.
