Image Text:

R.I.P: Toni Morrison

NOBEL PRIZE-winning author Toni Morrison has died at the age of 88.

The celebrated writer died on Monday night (Aug 5) at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, publisher Alfred A.Knopf confirmed.

Alfred A Knopf editor in chief Sonny Mehta said: "Toni Morrison’s working life was spent in the service of literature: writing books, reading books, editing books, teaching books. I can think of few writers in American letters who wrote with more humanity or with more love for language than Toni.

"Her narratives and mesmerising prose have made an indelible mark on our culture. Her novels command and demand our attention. They are canonical works, and more importantly, they are books that remain beloved by readers."

Morrison made history as the first black woman to receive the Nobel literature prize award in 1993.

She also won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1988 for her novel Beloved.

In 2012, Morrison was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama, and she obtained numerous awards during her life.

Many have taken to social media to pay tribute to the pioneer.

Actress Gabrielle UNion tweeted: “Her words were like mirrors to our collective souls. Like pillows to cushion the blows. Like mothers to wrap us in love. Like friends to hold our hands and see us through the darkness. #RipToniMorrison ❤ you. May we lift her up in the light of goodness and hold her there.”

Fellow author Roxane Gay wrote: "RIP Toni Morrison. This is a devastating loss to the world of words, to our understanding of power and it’s reach, to the cultivation of empathy, to rich, nuanced, elegant storytelling. Her work was a gift to every one who had the pleasure of reading her."