BELOVED author Eric Jerome Dickey passed away last month at age 59 after a long illness, his publicist confirmed.

The New York Times bestselling author penned classics like Sister, Sister, Friends & Lovers and Between Lovers.

His debut novel Sister, Sister was named one of the most impactful black books of the past 50 years by Essense last year.

The author was well-known for penning meaningful stories about living as a black American.

After news of his death broke on Tuesday, there was a mass outpouring of love for the influential writer on social media.

"I am truly saddened to hear about the passing of Eric Jerome Dickey," fellow writer Roxane Gay wrote on Twitter.

"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."

Dickey, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, had his first novel published in 1996.

He went on to 29 novels and sell more than 7million books.

Other bestselling works by the author include Milk in My Coffee (1998), Cheaters (1999), Sleeping with Strangers (2007) and Walking with Enemies (2007).

Source: Read Full Article