Fantasy author Jordan dies at 58

Jordan was working on the final book in his Wheel of Time series

Author Robert Jordan, who was best known for the Wheel of Time series of fantasy novels, has died of a rare blood disease aged 58.

Jordan - whose real name was James Oliver Rigney Junior - died at the Medical University of South Carolina.

His personal assistant, Maria Simons, said the disease caused the walls of his heart to thicken.

Jordan's first fantasy book, The Eye of the World, was published in 1990 and went on to sell millions of copies.

He also wrote a trilogy of historical novels set in Charleston under the pen name Reagan O'Neal in the early 1980s.

After turning his hand to the Wheel of Time series, he went on to publish 11 books and had been working on the 12th at the time of his death.

Jordan's books tell of Rand al'Thor, also known as The Dragon Reborn, who is destined to battle evil in a mythical land.

The author is survived by his wife, Harriet McDougal Rigney.