He’s gone to the ancestors!
Iconic novelist, Eric Jerome Dickey, has passed away at 59-years-old following a long illness. The man behind “Sister, Sister,” “Waking With Enemies,” and “The Son Of Mr. Suleman,” amongst other prolific stories about contemporary Black life leaves behind four daughters among his survivors. Emily Canders, Dickey’s publicist at Penguin Random House, told The Associated Press that the author died Sunday.
I am heart broken. My cousin, Eric Jerome Dickey passed away on yesterday. Guys, when God tells you to do something,…
Posted by La Verne Madison Fuller on Monday, January 4, 2021
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The news has shaken the internet with people sharing how important his books were to them.
Wow. Rest In Peace Eric Jerome Dickey. I fell in love with reading sneaking and reading his books as a girl.
— Asia Chloe Brown (@AsiaChloeBrown) January 5, 2021
I remember sneaking around with my copy of “Friends and Lovers” in middle school like it was contraband. Secretly reading an Eric Jerome Dickey novel was a teenage right of passage for a generation of black Americans
— Wesley (@WesleyLowery) January 5, 2021
Eric Jerome Dickey was a literary legend. Had a whole generation reading and coming to school the next day like “DID YOU FINISH YET??? We have to talk about it when you do!”
Wow.
May he rest peacefully.
advertisement— Luvvie is the #ProfessionalTroublemaker (@Luvvie) January 5, 2021
RIP to the legendary Eric Jerome Dickey.
advertisementThank you for all of your contributions to the writing world. Here’s my mood today. pic.twitter.com/Eu4rTwPk3y
— Literary King QJ (@quardeay) January 5, 2021
E. Lynn Harris. Bebe Moore Campbell. Eric Jerome Dickey. They all helped shaped contemporary Black lit in the 90s, and they all left us WAY too soon. https://t.co/7N1SXgrXmF
— Britni Danielle (@BritniDWrites) January 5, 2021
RIP to literary icon Eric Jerome Dickey. Thank you for shaping my childhood with your work. pic.twitter.com/fIDoZdeyxt
— Jamal had a Lecture (@TeetheGem) January 5, 2021
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I am truly saddened to hear about the passing of Eric Jerome Dickey. His were some of the first novels I ever read about black people that weren’t about slavery or civil rights. He was a great storyteller.
— roxane gay (@rgay) January 5, 2021
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May his legacy live on!
Photo Credit: Getty Images