From the Mirror archives

November 23, 1990

Fans of darkly humorous children’s books such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and The BFG were mourning the death of author Roald Dahl at the age of 74. Born in Wales to Norwegian immigrants, Dahl served as a fighter pilot, diplomat and intelligence officer during the Second World War, before embarking on a successful writing career. His books, have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.