PARIS, Sept 25: French author Francoise Sagan, who shot to fame with her first novel "Bonjour Tristesse" at the age of 18 and courted controversy throughout her life, died on Friday, a hospital spokesman said.

Sagan, who was 69, was an icon of 1950s intellectuals and lived the Bohemian lifestyle she portrayed in her writing. She was a longstanding friend of late President Francois Mitterrand and was convicted of taking drugs and for tax evasion.

"Francoise Sagan died today," said Yves Buzen, spokesman for the hospital in Honfleur, in Normandy, where she died. He said she had spent the last few days there and died of heart failure with her son at her side.

Born Francoise Quoirez into a wealthy family in 1935, she wrote under the name of a character created by Marcel Proust and burst onto the literary scene with Bonjour Tristesse (Hello Sadness) in 1954, a tale of spoilt children of the bourgeoisie.

The story of a 17-year-old girl's plot to break up her father's engagement to his former mistress was seen as a breath of fresh air and was an immediate success. It was later translated into many languages.

Also a playwright and screenwriter, Sagan was known for her dispassionate portrayals of bored, amoral middle-class people.

Her depiction of lonely characters who are disappointed in personal relationships and turn to the pursuit of pleasure won her many admirers. She is attributed with influencing many women writers who followed her.

"With her death, France has lost one of its most brilliant and sensitive authors, an eminent figure in our literary life," President Jacques Chirac said. "An actor of her time, Francoise Sagan contributed to the development of women in our country."

Sagan was also a non-conformist. She was found guilty of fiscal fraud and given a 12-month suspended jail sentence in 2002 for not declaring some 830,000 euros (then 723,600 dollars) to the tax authorities.

She also received a 12-month suspended jail sentence in 1995 on charges of using cocaine and giving it to others. It was her second conviction on drug charges.

Her habit of driving barefoot, her love of cards and roulette - to the point of being banned from casinos - and her friendship with Mitterrand added to the mystery around her.

"Francoise Sagan was a smile - sad, enigmatic, distant yet joyful," Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said. "And millions of French people tonight feel the sadness that she often made them share in her books."-Reuters