Spy thriller author John le Carre Photo: VCG

John le Carre, the British writer best known for his Cold War espionage novels Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, has died aged 89, his agent said Sunday.

The author, whose real name was David Cornwell, wrote 25 novels and one memoir in a career spanning six decades, selling some 60 million books worldwide.

Carre's books such as The Little Drummer Girl have been introduced to China and were translated and published by the Shanghai Translation Publishing House in the Chinese mainland.

The sad news captured the hearts of netizens on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo, with many expressing their love for his works.

"I love reading his books. The spirit of the writer also deserves to be respected as he did not stop working despite growing older," one netizen commented in a post on Sina Weibo.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was adapted for television in 1979, with Alec Guinness starring as George Smiley, and became a classic. Gary Oldman reprised the role in the 2011 film, going on to win an Oscar.

Le Carre's last novel, Agent Running in the Field, was published in October 2019.

His wife of nearly 50 years, Jane, and sons Nicholas, Timothy, Stephen and Simon, said in a statement he died from pneumonia on Saturday night after a short battle with the illness.

"We all grieve deeply his passing," they said, thanking staff at the hospital in Cornwall, southwest England, for their care. 

"We know they share our sadness," they added.

The novelist Robert Harris called Le Carre "one of those writers who really was not only a brilliant writer but he also penetrated popular culture - and that's a great rarity."

Harris told Sky News television Le Carre was a "brilliant novelist" and said The Spy Who Came In From The Cold was a "masterpiece."

Jonny Geller, Le Carre's literary agent, said: "His like will never be seen again, and his loss will be felt by every book lover, everyone interested in the human condition."