Beloved writer and New York Times best-selling author Eric Jerome Dickey has died. He was 59-years-old. According to ESSENCE, Dickey’s publicist confirmed the news of his Jan. 3 death. His cousin La Verne Madison Fuller mourned his passing on social media after writing a heartbreaking Facebook post. Dickey was a celebrated figure in American literature who was responsible for penning several classic books about Black life — including “Sister, Sister,” “Friends & Lovers” and “Between Lovers.” He was credited for revolutionizing the art of storytelling in the contemporary fiction genre and had over seven million of his books published worldwide. Dickey — born and raised in Memphis, TN — began writing stories back in 1989, just seven years before he made his literary debut. He also explored work as a comedian and actor, but ultimately decided he wanted to pursue writing as his passion. Through his work, he was able to fill a void where Black people could finally be seen, and many fans...