Tom Clancy, the name behind Rainbow Six and Splinter Cell, dead at 66 (updated)

Updated 8:35 a.m. Pacific time. 

Author Tom Clancy died last night in a Baltimore hospital, according to Business Insider. The Hunt for Red October and The Sum of All Fears writer was 66.

Gamers have seen Tom Clancy’s name attached to multiple PC and console franchises. He cofounded Red Storm Entertainment in 1996. Tom Clancy’s Politika, a PC game that played like Risk, was the company’s first release. Red Storm would go on to develop popular, military-based series like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon. Publisher Ubisoft bought the studio in 2000.

“We are saddened to learn of Tom Clancy’s passing and our condolences go out to his family,” Ubisoft said in a statement sent to GamesBeat. “Tom Clancy was an extraordinary author with a gift for creating detailed, engrossing fictional stories that captivated audiences around the world. The teams at Ubisoft, especially at the Red Storm studio, are incredibly grateful to have collaborated with and learned from him, and we are humbled by the opportunity to carry on part of his legacy through our properties that bear his name.”

Ubisoft would use the Tom Clancy branding for other franchises, including the stealth-based Splinter Cell and the strategy game EndWar. The Division, an online tactical shooter for next-gen systems, is Ubisoft’s next major Tom Clancy release. It’s set for 2014.