(Photo Source: Acadiana Center for the Arts)

Remembering The Late Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison, the author of eleven novels and Nobel Prize winner, died at age 88 after a “brief illness,” according to her family. Morrison, who wrote “The Bluest Eye” and “Beloved,” a story about a female runaway slave, was considered a groundbreaking African-American author. She was the first black woman to win the Nobel Prize.

The Morrison family issued a statement, saying the author “passed away peacefully last night surrounded by family and friends…The consummate writer who treasured the written word, whether her own, her students or others, she read voraciously and was most at home when writing. Although her passing represents a tremendous loss, we are grateful she had a long, well-lived life.”

“While we would like to thank everyone who knew and loved her, personally or through her work, for their support at this difficult time, we ask for privacy as we mourn this loss to our family,” the family said. “We will share information in the near future about how we will celebrate Toni’s incredible life.”

Many politicians and celebrities offered condolences to Morrison’s family on social media, sharing personal tales of how Morrison inspired them.

“In the passing of Toni Morrison, we lost one of our greatest voices & storytellers,” presidential candidate Kamala Harris tweeted. “Holding close those touched by her being & her gift. Her work gave us power, hope & freedom. While our world shines a little less bright today, we know ‘something that is loved is never lost.”