British author Colin Wilson has died. He was 82.

The novelist was admitted to hospital in Cornwall, England in October (13) suffering from pneumonia, and he passed away on 5 December (13).

A prolific writer who focused on true crime and the paranormal, Wilson first came to prominence with his 1956 philosophy publication The Outsider.

The work led him to be hailed among the era's great young male writers alongside the likes of Kingsley Amis and John Osborne.

He went on to receive criticism for the vast number of topics covered in his subsequent books, which focused on subjects ranging from alien abductions to the occult.

Wilson, who wrote more than 150 books, won a cult following for his The Spider World trilogy and The Space Vampires.

He suffered a stroke last year (12).