TOTALLY GEEKED!

The Italian writer and philosopher Umberto Eco, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose, has died aged 84.

According to a family member who asked not to be identified, he died late on Friday from cancer.

The Name of the Rose was made into a film in 1986 starring Scottish actor Sean Connery.

Eco, who also wrote the novel Foucault's Pendulum, continued to publish new works, with Numero Zero released last year.

He also wrote children's books and literary criticism.

Eco once wrote that "books always speak of other books, and every story tells a story that has already been told".

"I am a philosopher," he was quoted as saying. "I write novels only on the weekends."

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi led tributes to Eco.

"He was an extraordinary example of a European intellectual," Mr Renzi said.

"He embodied both the unique intelligence of the past and a tireless capacity for anticipating the future."

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35620368