When he was 18 months he was diagnosed with cerebral malaria, but recovered.
“I’ve had tough times, bad marriages, people I loved dearly dying in my arms, burnt the midnight oil getting nowhere, but it has, all in the end, added up to a phenomenally fulfilled and wonderful life.
“Wilbur Smith was an icon, larger than life, beloved by his fans who collected his books in hardbacks and passed his work down through generations, fathers to sons and mothers to daughters.
“His work ethic and his powerful, elegant writing style made him known to millions.
“Wilbur never lost his appetite for writing and remained working every day of his life.