Highly-acclaimed for his best-selling military and spy thriller books; Tom Clancy died at the age of 66 at Johns Hopkins Hospital after a brief illness. Born in Baltimore on April 12, 1947, the American novelist is known for his technically detailed espionage and military science storylines which made him the world's best-known authors.

There is no statement yet about the cause of his death, Clancy is survived by his wife Alexanda and his daughter Alexis. The author have 4 children from his previous marriage to Wanda King: Michelle Bandy, Christine Blocksidge, Kathleen Clancy and Thomas Clancy III.

The man behind the Jack Ryan series, Tom Clancy is one of the few authors who repeatedly hit #1 on the The New York Times bestseller list. So to remember his literary influence here are the top 5 books of this genius writer.

Top 1: The Hunt for Red October (1984)

Clancy's first published novel, The Hunt for Red October was sold over 5 million copies and was made into a movie which turned into a blockbuster hit. The movie was starred by Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan and Sean Connery as Captain Ramius, a story about a CIA analyst who assisted in the defection of a Soviet naval captain aboard in the most advanced ballistic missile submarine of the Soviet fleet.

Top 2: Patriot Games (1987)

The second book of the Jack Ryan series, the Patriot Games is another bestseller that revolves around Jack Ryan who foils an attack in London on the Prince and Pricess of Wales by the ""Ulster Liberation Army." The book was later made into a movie by Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan and Samuel L. Jackson as Robby Jackson.

Top 3: Clear And Present Danger (1989)

The story features Jack Ryan who lead a rescue mission for abandoned soldiers together with John Clark. Ryan was kept in the dark by his collegues who are conducting a covert war against cocaine producers in Colombia. The book was made into a film in 1994 where Harrison Ford played as Jack Ryan and Willem Dafoe as John Clark.

Top 4: The Sum of All Fears (1991)

Starred by Ben Affleck as Jack Ryan and Liev Schreiber as John Clark, the best-selling book was converted into a film in 2002. The book features an adrenalin-pumping scenes where Arab terrorists find a nuclear weapon that had been lost in Israel, and use this weapon to attack the United States.

Top 5: Without Remorse (1993)

Without Remorse takes its readers during the Vietnam War when Jack Ryan was a teenager and John Clark was John Kelly. Ex-Seal John Clark was fighting a war against drug dealers in Baltimore and meet Jack's father Emmet who is a police detective in the city. The Books features alternate locations betwen two major story arcs, Vietnam and Baltimore.