Famous author Eric Jerome Dickey, adored for telling modern black stories on bestsellers like “Sister, Sister”, “Friends and Lovers” and “Between Lovers”, died on Sunday at 59.
“It is with great sadness that we confirm that New York Times bestselling author Eric Jerome Dickey passed away on Sunday, January 3, in Los Angeles after fighting a long illness, ”a representative from Dutton, a Penguin Random House label, told the Post, adding that Dickey is leaving four daughters back.
A family member of yours also confirmed the news on Facebook.
“I’m heartbroken. My cousin, Eric Jerome Dickey passed away yesterday,” wrote La Verne Madison Fuller on Facebook on Monday. “Guys, when God tells you to do something, just do it. Just a few weeks ago, God woke me up to send him a message and say that I loved him. He told me that he loved us too. “
The New York Times bestselling novelist graduated in engineering from the University of Memphis, getting a job in the aerospace industry as a software developer in Los Angeles. He soon discovered his passion for writing through comedy. After writing several scripts for a comedy act, he started writing poetry and short stories.
“Working in the cinema gave me an insight into the development of the character, the acting classes helped me to understand the motivation. . . It all goes hand in hand, ”he wrote on his website.
After publishing his first short story in 1994, he released the beloved “Sister, Sister” in 1996 about three women in search of love in LA. Other books, including the novels “Chasing Destiny”, “Liar’s Game” and “Pleasure”, were on the New York Times bestseller list.
In all, more than seven million of his books have been published worldwide, according to his publicist.
Her next novel, “Mr. Suleman’s Son,” was scheduled to be released on April 20 this year.
Tributes began to arrive on the social networks of celebrities and fans who were touched by the legendary Memphis-born novelist.
“I remember sneaking around with my copy of ‘Friends and Lovers’ in high school as if it were smuggling”, journalist Wesley Lowery tweeted. “Secretly reading a Eric Jerome Dickey novel was a teenage right [sic] passing through to a generation of black Americans. “
“I am very sad to hear of the death of Eric Jerome Dickey”, author Roxane Gay wrote on Twitter. “Yours were some of the first novels I read about blacks that were not about slavery or civil rights. He was a great storyteller. “
“Rest in peace for the black novelist Eric Jerome Dickey. He undoubtedly helped to revolutionize an era of black storytelling. He will be sorely missed, ” added Promised Land magazine.
“RIP for literary icon Eric Jerome Dickey. Thank you for shaping my childhood with your work, ” a fan wrote. “’Chasing Destiny’ and ‘Genevieve’ are two books that I remember that really sparked my desire to be a writer,” added another.