Bestselling Author C.J. Sansom Dies at 71

Bestselling author C.J. Sansom, 71, has died just days before the TV adaptation of his novel "Dissolution" is released on Disney+.

Samson died April 27, having been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare cancer that affects bone marrow, in 2012, The Guardian reported.

The British historical novelist established his name as an author through his mystery novels starring barrister Matthew Shardlake, set in Tudor England.

He introduced the character in the 2003 book "Dissolution" and went on to release six other novels featuring Shardlake, Sky News reported, noting that he also wrote and released two standalone historical novels, "Winter In Madrid" and "Dominion."

His works earned numerous awards, including the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger for his contributions to the genre.

Sansom, born in 1952 in Edinburgh, was the only child of an English father and a Scottish mother. He studied history at Birmingham University, earning both a BA and a PhD with a thesis on the British Labour Party's policy towards South Africa between the wars.

He went on to pursue a career in law, working as a solicitor in Sussex before becoming a full-time writer.

"Chris did not seek the limelight, preferring to be known through his novels, and so in comparison with his fame and reputation relatively few people were lucky enough to know the person behind the work," Antony Topping, Sansom's agent, said. "He had an immense, far-reaching and deeply humane intelligence. His fans can see this in the novels but he applied it equally in his everyday dealings with friends, in his politics and his charitable acts."

Toppings added that Sansom "had a loathing of injustice of any kind and a special contempt for bullies."

"At the same time he had a joyful and piercing sense of humor which he would spring on you, with an attempt at a straight face, when you were least expecting it," he added.

Actor Arthur Hughes, who stars in the TV adaption "Shardlake," which will be released May 1, praised Sansom for giving "such an incredible body of work" through his writing.

"Shardlake came into my life quite poignantly this year and it was an honor to bring him to the screen," he told The Guardian. "I relayed a few messages to Chris while making our show and he received them warmly. In Matthew Shardlake, he created a hero of the Tudor period who was complex, modern, unique and enduring. I hope we did him proud."

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