Tom Clancy dies at 66

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – American bestselling author Tom Clancy died at the age of 66 on Tuesday, October 1, his publishing company confirmed on Wednesday.

Bestselling author Tom Clancy has died.

— Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly) October 2, 2013

Breaking News: Tom Clancy, Author of Military Thrillers, Dies at 66 http://t.co/eqDfdEsmLj

— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 2, 2013

Clancy died in a hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, where he grew up. As of publishing, the cause of death has not been released to media. But the Baltimore Sun newspaper said Clancy died on Tuesday “after a brief illness.”

He is famous for penning bestselling spy, thriller and military science novels, including Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Hunt for Red October, which have also been made into films.

“He was a consummate author, creating the modern-day thriller, and was one of the most visionary storytellers of our time,” said Penguin Group executive David Shanks in a statement.

“I will miss him dearly and he will be missed by tens of millions of readers worldwide,” added Shanks, who was involved in the publication of all of Clancy’s works.

The prolific writer was known for his extremely detailed plotlines and intricately-connected fictional “universes.” Two series, “Tom Clancy’s Op-Center” and “Tom Clancy’s Net Force,” were created by him but written by ghost writers.

“The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense,” he once said.

He has lent his name to video games inspired from his novels, even co-founding a video game development company, Red Storm Entertainment, in 1996. The company was eventually bought by publisher Ubisoft Entertainment although Clancy’s name is still used in the titles of some of its games.

An avowed Republican, Clancy was also a co-owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team. – Rappler.com/With reports from Agence France-Presse