Bonnie Greer Dies: British-American Writer & Cultural Commentator Was 77

The British-American writer and cultural commentator Bonnie Greer has died. She was 77.

Greer’s husband, David Hutchins, announced her death in a statement published this afternoon. Hutchins wrote that Greer died on Tuesday evening following a brief illness.

Hutchins described Greer as “an acclaimed playwright, author, critic, cultural and political commentator whose intelligence, courage and distinctive voice made an enduring contribution to British cultural and public life”.

The statement continued: “To me, she was my partner, confidante and inspiration, and I feel profoundly privileged to have shared my life with her. Those closest to Bonnie will remember her warmth, humour, generosity and extraordinary ability to bring people together. At this immensely difficult time, we ask that our family’s privacy be respected. She will be deeply missed.”

Born in Chicago in 1948, Greer moved to the UK in 1986 and became a citizen in 1997.

Her first book, Hanging by Her Teeth, was published in 1994 and told the story of a Black American woman travelling through the US and Europe in search of her father. Greer was also the author of Obama Music, a 2009 memoir about her personal connection to Chicago’s South Side contrasted with that of President Obama’s political rearing in the same community. Greer also published a book-length work on the life of Langston Hughes, titled The Value of Contradiction (2011).

Beyond novels, Greer was also a stage and screen writer. Her playwriting credits include Munda Negra (1993), for which she was awarded the Verity Bargate Award for best play. Greer penned the script for Ngozi Onwurah’s short, White Men Are Cracking Up.

In recent years, Greer became a frequent fixture on British current affairs shows such as Question Time. In 2022, she was made a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was awarded an OBE in 2010 for services to the arts.