Umberto Eco passes away

The well-known novelist and historian Umberto Eco has died at the age of 84.

His relatives said he died in Italy, but provided no further details, RIA Novosti reports.

Umberto Eco was born in 1932. Eco was best known for his novels 'The Name of the Rose' and 'Foucault's Pendulum'. He also was a prominent scientist in the field of medieval studies, semiotics and different aspects of mass culture.