It’s hard to believe the news, but Dick Francis is dead.

Legendary mystery writer Dick Francis passed away at the age of 89. Francis was known for his decades-running series of crime and mystery novels that centered around the world of horse racing.

Dick Francis was himself a top jockey in the horse racing world of the 1950s, winning over 300 races, and drew from that life experience for his books about that racetrack world and all the gambling, pageantry and decadence that comes with it.

His son Felix said in memory of his late father, “My brother, Merrick, and I are, of course, devastated by the loss of our father, but we rejoice in having been the sons of such an extraordinary man. We share in the joy that he brought to so many over such a long life. It is an honour for me to be able to continue his remarkable legacy through the new novels.”

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Francis family.