Andrew Pyper, the Canadian author known for his popular thrillers and horror novels, has died at 56, the CBC reports.

Pyper, a native of Stratford, Ontario, was educated at McGill University, where he studied literature, and at the University of Toronto, where he earned a law degree.

He made his literary debut in 1996 with the short story collection Kiss Me, following that up with Lost Girls, published in Canada in 1999 and the U.S. in 2000. A critic for Kirkus praised the novel as “savvy, stylish, and very entertaining.”

Several other books followed, including The Trade Mission, The Wildfire Season, The Demonologist, and The Damned. His most recent novel, William, written under the pen name Mason Coile, was published last September; the book is in the works as a film to be directed by Justin Dyck.

Pyper’s admirers paid tribute to him on social media. On the platform X, singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith wrote, “Sad to hear of the passing of brilliant Canadian novelist Andrew Pyper. As a fan of scary stories he wrote some truly terrifying novels. I met him a couple of times here in Stratford (his hometown) and he had some great advice for me when I was trying to write my novel.”

And author Benjamin Percy posted, “January is cruel, and @andrewpyper will be missed. We shared some drinks and meals and stage time over the years, while staying in occasional correspondence, and he always impressed me with his talent, sure, but also his class and graciousness.”

Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.