AceShowbiz -

Paul Torday, who had a surprise success with his debut novel "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen", has passed away. His publisher Weidenfeld and Nicolson announces that the British author died Wednesday, December 18 at his home in Northumberland. The cause of death is not revealed but Daily Mail reports that the writer had been suffering from cancer since the age of 61.

Kirsty Dunseath, Publishing Director at Weidenfeld and Nicolson Fiction, remembers the 67-year-old writer, "In many ways Paul Torday invented his own genre - his extraordinary fiction was filled with warmth and a wry, humane wit. He was a gentle observer of the foibles of human nature and our social behaviour."

"He wanted to entertain but his novels were also infused with a deep social awareness, exploring issues such as political expediency, alcoholism, mental illness, class and our national heritage," Dunseath continues. "He was a very gentle man, thoughtful and considered in everything he did and it was a privilege and a joy to have worked with him."

Torday launched his writing career in his late 50s. He published "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" in 2007, shortly after he was diagnosed with cancer. The book about a rich sheik who dreams of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to his desert country became an international hit and was turned into a 2011 movie starring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt.

The County Durham-born writer went on writing a book a year, including "The Girl on the Landing" (2009) and "Light Shining in the Forest" (2013).

He's survived by his wife Penelope, ex- wife Jane Mortimer, sons Piers and Nicholas, stepsons Jonathan and Charles and three grandchildren.