Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, devastated by the death of her son

The famous Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a reference voice for feminism and multiculturalism, is «devastated» by the death of one of her 21-month-old twin children due to an illness.

«With deep sadness, we confirm the passing of one of the twins of Mrs. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Dr. Ivara Esege, Nkanu Nnamdi, who passed away on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, after a brief illness. He was 21 months old,» states a statement from the family issued this Thursday, which local media are reporting today.

Respect for Your Privacy

“The family is devastated by this profound loss and requests that their privacy be respected during these difficult times. We ask for your forgiveness and prayers as they grieve in private,” the note emphasizes.

“No further statements will be made and we thank the public and the media for respecting their need for isolation during this period of immense pain,” the statement adds.

Numerous messages of condolence

The 48-year-old writer, a resident of the United States, has received numerous messages of condolence, including one from the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who learned of the news of the death with “deep sorrow” and conveyed his “deepest condolences” to the family. “As a father who has suffered the loss of a loved one, no pain is as devastating as the loss of a child. I stand in solidarity with the family in this difficult time and mourn this sad loss with them,” Tinubu remarked in a statement released last night.

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The Head of State described Adichie as “a literary icon who has brought joy and light to many homes around the world,” and added that he prays that “she and her family find strength in the Almighty in these difficult times.” Adichie and Esege, 58, married in 2009 and had their first daughter in 2016, while the twins were born in 2024 via surrogacy.

One of the most celebrated writers

The author has become one of the most celebrated writers for books that explore love, conflict, identity, feminism, and colonialism, among other issues. Her first novel, “Purple Hibiscus” (2003), was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2004, although her consecration came with her second novel, “Half of a Yellow Sun” (2006), which won the Women’s Fiction Prize in 2007, among other successes. Her fame as an activist is also due to the essay “We should all be feminists”, in defense of feminism and widely disseminated, which brought her fully into pop culture. The singer Beyoncé included part of her words in her song “Flawless” and the luxury goods multinational Dior printed the title on a t-shirt.