LONDON, Mar 21: Best-selling British horror writer James Herbert, who penned novels such as “The Rats” and “The Fog”, has died suddenly at the age of 69, his publisher said on Wednesday. Herbert’s editor at publisher Pan Macmillan, Jeremy Trevathan, said the writer died yesterday morning in bed at his home in Sussex. No cause of death was given but a spokeswoman for the publisher said he had not been ill. (agencies)