Remembering espionage writer John le Carré with some of his best books David Cornwell -- known to the world as John le Carre -- died after a short illness in Cornwall, southwestern England December 14, 2020 5:30:11 pm John le Carre, the spy-turned-novelist whose elegant and intricate narratives defined the Cold War espionage thriller and brought acclaim to a genre critics had once ignored, has died. He was 89. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, file) Celebrated British author John le Carré, who wrote many famous spy thrillers like ‘ The Spy Who Came In From The Cold‘ and ‘ Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy‘, died Saturday, December 12, aged 89. While fellow authors paid tribute to his towering legacy, his agent said in a statement that David Cornwell — known to the world as John le Carre — died after a short illness in Cornwall, southwestern England.