Umberto Eco's last book - Numero Zero - was published last year 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