It was announced yesterday (Monday, October 5) that author and former MP Lord Jeffrey Archer had died suddenly and peacefully at home at the age of 86.
Born in London in 1940, he was brought up in the coastal town of Weston-super-Mare, where he lived in the former home of comedian John Cleese.
He left school with just three O-levels and worked a number of jobs, including with the army and the police, before winning an unlikely place at Oxford University where he studied for a Diploma of Education and excelled at athletics.
Archer ran for England but he decided to follow his political rather than his sporting ambitions, becoming a Conservative councillor for Havering on the Greater London Council before being elected an MP in a 1969 by-election, only to stand down five years later after facing bankrupcy.
He turned his attention to writing instead and made his fortune with a string of popular novels, with Kane and Abel alone selling around 34 million copies, making it one of best-selling books in history.
A return to politics followed, with the author becoming chairman of the Conservative Party from 1985-1986, but he was forced to resign following reports that he has paid money to a sex worker.
He successfully sued for damages over the claims, was made a life peer in 1992, and was selected as the Conservative candidate for the Mayor of London.
But his future in politics was terminally ended in 1999 when he was found to have lied in his civil case and, in 2001, he was sentenced to four years in prison for perjury and perverting the course of justice.
On his release in 2003 he released three volumes of prison diaries and continued to write until his death.
Here are 22 fascinating quotes from Archer over the years.
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1. Jeffrey Archer on...mistakes
But I certainly made mistakes, for which I regret, "I think most human beings in their lifetime make mistakes, mine ended up in two years prison - two very remarkable years from which I learnt a lot." | Getty Images
2. Jeffrey Archer on...privilege
"Birth is life's first lottery ticket." | AFP via Getty Images
3. Jeffrey Archer on...childhood dreams
"When I was three, I wanted to be four. When I was four, I wanted to be prime minister." | Getty Images
4. Jeffrey Archer on...self doubt
"When a book comes out I wonder if one person will buy it. It's agony. Of course it's stupid, but it's agony. | Getty Images