New York Times bestselling author Eric Jerome Dickey who wrote classics like “Sister, Sister” “Before We Were Wicked” and “Friends and Lovers” about black life, revolutionizing narrative in the contemporary fiction genre, died.
News of his death first circulated on social media. He last posted on his Instagram account while on vacation.
Dickey’s passing was confirmed today in an official statement from his career editor, Dutton, a Penguin Random House label.
“It is with great sadness that we confirm that New York Times Best-selling author Eric Jerome Dickey passed away on Sunday, January 3, in Los Angeles, after fighting a long illness. He was 59, ”said the statement.
“Eric Jerome Dickey was the author of twenty-nine novels, and his work has become a cultural reference throughout his writing career of several decades, winning millions of dedicated readers worldwide. He was the author of several New York Times best-selling novels including Milk in my coffee, Traitors, Chasing Fate, Liar game, Among Lovers, Thieves’ Paradise, The other woman, Makes me crazy, Genevieve, Naughty or cool, Sleeping with strangers, Waking up to enemies, Pleasure, Dying for revenge, Resurrecting at midnight, tempted by trouble, an accidental affair, and Decadence.
Recently, your book Sister, sister was honored as one of Essencethe 50 most impacting black books of the past 50 years, and USA today included you in your list of 100 black novelists and fiction writers that you should read. More than seven million of his books have been published worldwide.
Dickey leaves four daughters. Due to COVID-19, there will be no services at this time. “
The Memphis-born author was 59 years old.
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The prolific writer wrote more than 25 books throughout his career and appeared on the New York Times, Essence, and Washington Post bestseller lists. He was known for creating nuanced black characters who dealt with real life love, relationships and dramas. In his later work, he switched to the noir genre, writing thrillers with characters that were relentless but complex.
Fans began to share their memories of a man who challenged representations of black characters and created memorable ones for an entire generation. He was praised for inspiring others to become writers and for making the contemporary black fiction genre profitable, along with writers such as the author of ‘Waiting to Exhale’ Terry McMillan.
“He was one of the first African American fiction writers to penetrate that sister-friendly fiction market that was so popular in the 90s,” he said. Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati, the founder of the African American Children’s Book Project and CEO of Literary Media and Publishing Consultants, based in Philadelphia, which promotes black authors.
“It was a market dominated by writers, but he knew how to impress that audience. As he climbed the New York Times bestseller list, while other black fiction authors sought out conventional bookstores in search of this cross-section of audiences, he insisted on making African-American bookstores for his book signing. His fans supported him across the country lining up to buy everything he wrote – decade after decade.
He published “The Business of Lovers” last April, centered on a character, Brick Duquesne, who recovered from a cancer outbreak, but did not tell his family about the disease. Dickey opened for the Memphis Flyer about his writing and life during the pandemic. Although he canceled the signings due to COVID-19, he still wanted to connect with his legion of fans.
“We will do Skype, Zoom, everything we can do via social [media], ”Dickey said of his changed plans. “The delivery of my books at home hasn’t even happened yet. I don’t even have copies of my own books. “
Dickey shared that Duquesne’s character would resonate with others who hide information from their loved ones.
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“It’s one of those things where people go through something, but they don’t know how to ask for help because they don’t want to upset the lives of others,” explained Dickey last April.
“Mr. Suleman’s Son of the Son,” his latest offer, is due to be released in April.
“From Memphis to Los Angeles and vice versa, Eric Jerome Dickey takes readers on a powerful and intense journey as Professor Pi Suleman deals with sexual assault and racism, struggles being changed by his father’s truths and also finds untruths that Gemma Buckingham hid reasons for it, ”he teased on his website.
Dickey was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on July 7, 1961, majoring in computer systems technology. However, he changed the course of his life and career, choosing to follow stand-up comedy and acting before eventually writing attractive short stories and scripts, such as Cappuccino.
In 1998, the Pan-African Film Festival hosted the premiere of Cappuccino at the Magic Johnson Theater in Los Angeles.
As the novelist explained on his website, these fragments of his imagination challenged him to embody his thoughts.
“I decided to make a ten-page story and it would last three hundred pages,” he mused.
It would take three years for Dickey to get a literary agent, but it wouldn’t be long before he became one of the icons of urban literature.
“And I put my foot [the door] before they could close it, ”he said.
Additional reporting by Tonya Pendleton
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