Vince Flynn, Best-Selling Author, Dies at Age 47

Vince Flynn, a best-selling author of political thriller novels, has died at age 47 after a two-year battle with prostate cancer.

A statement from Flynn's publisher, Simon & Schuster, said he died Wednesday.

Flynn self-published his first book, Term Limits, in 1997 before landing a publishing deal. Term Limitsbecame a New York Times best seller. Most of his books centered on the character Mitch Rapp, a counterterrorism operative.

He averaged a book a year. Flynn announced in 2011 that he had been diagnosed with stage three metastatic prostate cancer.