Eric Jerome Dickey dies: bestselling novelist was 59

Eric Jerome Dickey, the author of the bestselling “Milk in My Coffee”, “Friends and Lovers” and several other influential works, died at age 59.

The celebrated novelist died on January 3 in Los Angeles after battling a long-term illness, publisher Penguin Random House confirmed Tuesday morning. Throughout his illustrious career, Dickey has written dozens of novels, including his final project, “Mr. Suleman’s Son”, which will hit stores on April 20.

“Eric Jerome Dickey loved to be a writer and all that it encompassed,” said his longtime editor Dutton in a statement on Tuesday. “He loved to challenge himself to each book; he loved his beloved readers and fans and was always grateful for his success. We are proud to have been your editor throughout your award-winning career. He will be sorely missed. “

After his short story “Treze” was published in the 1994 collection “Travessias de Rio: Voices of the Diaspora: An Anthology of the International Black Experience”, Dickey wrote a series of works focusing on the experiences of contemporary black characters. His 29 novels entertained millions of readers with a fast pace, a conversational style and fluency in genres ranging from crime to romance.

Her 1996 debut novel, “Sister, Sister” – about young black women sailing in love and friendship – was recently named one of the “50 most impactful black books of the past 50 years” by Essence magazine.

Other popular Dickey titles include “Cheaters”, “Liar’s Game” and “Milk in My Coffee”, all of which made the New York Times and Blackboard bestseller lists.

Although he moved to Los Angeles to become a software developer in the aerospace industry, Dickey later cultivated his creative talents as an actor, comedian, poet and short story writer. Before moving on to book publishing, he attended creative writing classes at UCLA as a recipient of a SEED grant from International Black Writers & Artists.

The city of LA, where Dickey moved from his native Memphis, Tennessee, in 1983, has been featured in much of his work. Her first book was purchased by the Sara Camilli Agency, and Camilli paid tribute to her longtime friend and collaborator upon learning of his death.

“Eric and I have been together since the beginning of our careers,” she said in a statement released on Tuesday.

“He has been like a member of our family. His death left a great void not only in the literary world, but also in our lives. He was a writer – always striving to do everything he wrote in the best possible way. “

Condolences from the literary community and elsewhere were received by Dickey on Twitter. The “Bad Feminist” author Roxane Gay recommended some of her favorites: “Milk in My Coffee”, “Sister, Sister” and “Friends and Lovers”.

“I am really sad to hear about the death of Eric Jerome Dickey,” wrote Gay. “Yours were some of the first novels I read about blacks that were not about slavery or civil rights. He was a great storyteller. “

“I remember being a child wondering if I would ever be a writer or author of any kind”, tweeted audio writer and producer Morgan Givens, “and seeing the name of this man – Eric Jerome Dickey – on the covers of books, while I leafed through, was a reminder whenever I could, too, that my blackness was not a disqualifier. It was a gift. “

Among the first to regret Dickey was his cousin, La Verne Madison Fuller, who confirmed his death with a sincere feeling Facebook Post.

“Guys, when God tells you to do something, just do it,” wrote Fuller. “Just a few weeks ago, God woke me up to send text messages [Dickey] and say that I loved him. He told me that he loved us too. It is the second time in twelve months that this has happened. This is real.”

Over the years, Dickey has received several awards, including a 2014 NAACP Image Award for “A Wanted Woman”. He also received NAACP Image Award nominations for “Liar’s Game”, “The Other Woman”, “Thieves’ Paradise” and “Genevieve”.

In 2006, he was crowned the male author of the year at the African American Literary Awards Show and nominated in 2008 as Storyteller of the Year at the first Essence Literary Award.

Other best-selling novels by Dickey include “Chasing Destiny”, “Between Lovers”, “Drive Me Crazy”, “Naughty or Nice”, “Sleeping With Strangers”, “Waking With Enemies”, “Pleasure”, “Dying for Revenge” , “Resurrecting Midnight”, “Tentated by Trouble”, “An Accidental Affair” and “Decadence”. In addition to novels and short stories, he also wrote a miniseries for Marvel comics, starring X-Men’s Storm and Black Panther.

Dickey leaves four daughters. No memorial service is planned at this time due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. See more reactions to his death below.