British author Peter Mayle passes away at 78

British author Peter Mayle has died at the age of 78 after a brief illness.

His publisher Alfred A. Knopf on social media shared the news that Mayle died "at a hospital near his home in the south of France" on January 18. The cause of death has yet to be reported.

We are sad to report that Peter Mayle, the beloved writer who wrote multiple bestselling books about life in Provence, died early today at a hospital near his home in the south of France. He was 78. pic.twitter.com/71oJP9oVYI

— Alfred A. Knopf (@AAKnopf) January 18, 2018

Mayle is best known for his work "A Year in Provence", which won the Best Travel Book of the Year at the 1989 British Book Awards. The book was adapted in a TV series in 1993.

His novel "A Good Year" was adapted by acclaimed director Ridley Scott in 2006.

Mayle was awarded the Legion d’Honneur in 2002, the highest French order of merit for military and civil merits. — Aya Tantiangco, GMA News