John le Carré, the internationally beloved author of spy thrillers, passed away on December 12, 2020 at the age of 89. He wrote 21 novels and was a leading innovator of the espionage novel genre. Born David John Moore Cornwell in Poole, United Kingdom, in 1931, le Carré was the son of a conman and a nightclub singer. He studied modern languages at the University of Bern in Switzerland and at Lincoln College, Oxford before working for British Intelligence during the Cold War. Although le Carré's first novel, "Call for the Dead", was published in 1961, his career only began in earnest with the 1963 publication of "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold". This acclaimed novel shot him to international fame winning the Edgar award in 1964. His subsequent novels, including "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" (1974), "The Honourable Schoolboy" (1977), "Smiley's People" (1979), "The Little Drummer Girl" (1983), and, most recently, "A Legacy of Spies" (2017) cemented his status in the annals of literature. His work has been adapted for both the big and small screen. Le Carré is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Jane, and a son and two stepsons.