Acclaimed author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, known for the bestselling novels “Half of a Yellow Sun” and “Americanah,” as well as a feature on Beyoncé’s “Flawless,” is mourning the loss of her 1-year-old son.
Reps for the award-winning Nigerian writer confirmed in a statement to the media on Thursday that Nkanu Nnamdi died on Wednesday following a brief illness. He was 21 months old.
“The family is devastated by this profound loss, and we request that their privacy be respected during this incredibly difficult time,” a spokesperson said. “We ask for your grace and prayers as they mourn in private.”
Nkanu was a twin, born with his brother via surrogate in 2024. Adichie, 48, and her husband, Dr. Ivara Esege, welcomed their first child, a girl, in 2016.
Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took to social media to share his sympathy, saying “no grief is as devastating as losing a child.”
“I empathise with the family at this difficult time,” he tweeted. “I pray she and her family find strength in the Almighty in this trying hour.”
The pride of her native African country, Adichie, now based in the U.S., is recognized as a leading voice in postcolonial feminist literature with themes exploring race and gender. Tinubu described her as “a literary icon who has brought joy and light to many homes globally.”
Adichie’s 2012 Ted Talk and essay “We Should All Be Feminists” was sampled on Beyoncé’s 2013 hit song “Flawless” from her groundbreaking self-titled opus.
She won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction in 2014 for “Americanah” about Nigerian immigrants in the United States and United Kingdom. In 2017, the novel was selected by New Yorkers as the winner of the city’s inaugural “One Book, One New York” program.
In 2015, Adichie was named as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.
