Nicholas Evans, the author of The Horse Whisperer, died of a heart attack at the age of 72, according to his reps.

United Agents stated in a statement that they were “very saddened to report the sudden loss of the renowned novelist.”

The Horse Whisperer, published in 1995, has sold 15 million books worldwide and has been translated into forty languages.

In 1998, a film adaptation starring Robert Redford was released.

Other works by Evans include The Brave, The Loop, The Divide, and The Smoke Jumper.

The managing director of Little, Brown Book Group, Charlie King, told The Bookseller, “Nicholas Evans was a brilliant storyteller and one of the most successful and well-liked novels of his generation.”

The Horse Whisperer and his subsequent four novels have been enjoyed by millions of readers worldwide. He will be sorely missed, but his words will endure for generations.

Born in Worcestershire in 1950, Evans attended Bromsgrove School before studying law at Oxford.

Before transitioning to radio, he worked as a journalist for the Evening Chronicle in Newcastle-upon-Tyne throughout the 1970s. He specialized in US politics and international affairs, including coverage of the Beirut war.

Evans was employed by London Weekend Television in the 1980s when he produced films about Sir Laurence Olivier, Francis Bacon, and David Hockney for The South Bank Show.

After gaining experience as a screenwriter on films starring Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Sir Ian Holm, and others, he began writing The Horse Whisperer, which was published in 1995.

The Horse Whisperer follows a complex and gifted trainer who is recruited to assist a severely injured teen and her horse in their recovery.

Robert Redford adapted the narrative for the big screen, directed and produced the picture, and starred as the main character. Scarlett Johansson played Grace MacLean, a teenage rider, in her breakthrough performance.