Eric Jerome Dickey, New York Times bestselling author, has passed away at the young age of 59.

According to Dickey’s publicist Emily Canders of Penguin Random House, the author died in Los Angeles on Sunday after battling cancer.

The NAACP Image Award winner was mostly known for his fiction books that highlighted black love and culture.

Prior to his writing career, he earned a degree in Computer System Technology at the University of Memphis and worked as a software developer in the aerospace industry, according to his website.

He moved to Los Angeles in 1983 to pursue a career in engineering, but quickly found himself drawn to acting and stand-up comedy.

Dickey wrote scripts for his personal comedy act before expanding his horizons into poetry and short stories, releasing his debut novel Sister, Sister in 1996.

After publishing several short stories, Dickey worked on the screenplay for 1998’s Cappuccino, which premiered at the Pan African Film Festival.

He went on to produce such written works like Friends & Lovers, Milk in My Coffee and Cheaters.

His novels Chasing Destiny, Liar’s Game, Between Lovers, Thieves’ Paradise,The Other Woman, Drive Me Crazy, Genevieve, Naughty or Nice, Sleeping with Strangers, Waking with Enemies and Pleasure landed him spots on The New York Times bestseller list.

In addition to his work as a novelist, Dickey also authored six issues in a comic book miniseries for Marvel.

Dickey’s last novel, The Son of Mr. Suleman, is due out in April, according to Associated Press.

Sending condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace, King.