Entertainment

Death of A-list literary agent prompts tributes from celebrities and politicians

The literary agent to the stars has passed away.
The literary agent to the stars has passed away. The literary agent to the stars has passed away.

The A-list literary agent who brokered the memoirs of Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber has died.

Ed Victor’s achievements also included finding publishers for top sellers such as Douglas Adams’ Hitchhikers’ Guide To The Galaxy series and Johanna Basford’s adult colouring books.

Associated Press reported that Victor died on Wednesday in London of a heart attack, according to Charlie Brotherstone, an agent at Ed Victor Ltd.

Ed Victor, Melvyn Bragg, Kevin Spacey and Alastair Campbell
Ed Victor, Melvyn Bragg, Kevin Spacey and Alastair Campbell
Ed Victor with Melvyn Bragg, Kevin Spacey and Alastair Campbell at a Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research fundraiser (Joanne Davidson/PA)

Victor was 78 and had been battling leukaemia.

The agent had described himself as a “shark in the water” and moved from his hometown, New York City, to Britain in the early 1960s where he launched his own literary agency in 1976.

Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards was one of Victor’s clients (Victoria Will/AP)

Other clients at his agency include U2, Carl Bernstein and Candice Bergen.

Tributes poured in from authors, politicians and celebrities for the famed agent.