Inspector Morse author Colin Dexter passes away at age 86

British crime writer Colin Dexter, best known for his popular Inspector Morse character, died on Tuesday at the age of 86, his publisher said in a statement.

“With immense sadness, Macmillan announces the death of Colin Dexter who died peacefully at his home in Oxford this morning,” the statement read.

Dexter was born in 1930 in Lincolnshire, eastern England, and studied classics at Cambridge University.

After a brief stint in teaching, he moved in the 1960s to Oxford, which provided the setting for the 13 Morse novels he published between 1975 and 1999.

He was also actively involved in the longrunning Inspector Morse television show and its two spinoffs Lewis and Endeavour, even making several cameo appearances.