Bonnie Greer, playwright and novelist, dies aged 77

Wednesday, 16 September 2026 15:55

Playwright and novelist Bonnie Greer has died aged 77 following a brief illness, her husband David Hutchins says.

He described his wife as an "acclaimed playwright, author, critic, cultural and political commentator".

She said her "intelligence, courage and distinctive voice made an enduring contribution to British cultural and public life", and those closest to her "will remember her warmth, humour, generosity and extraordinary ability to bring people together".

Greer was born in Chicago in 1948, the eldest of seven children, and lived in New York City, before moving to Britain in 1986.

In 1997, she became a British citizen and in 2010 was awarded an OBE for her services to the arts.

Greer picked up the Verity Bargate Award for Best Play for Munda Negra (1993) and she was also the author of the novels Hanging By Her Teeth (1994) and Entropy (2009).

Her memoir and music history, Obama Music, was published in October 2009.

Some of her other works include the biography Langston Hughes: The Value Of Contradiction (2011) and the play Marilyn And Ella (2008) about actress Marilyn Monroe and singer Ella Fitzgerald.

Read more from Sky News:
PM to delay flagship investment summit until next year
London borough announces record council tax increase

Greer was appointed to the British Museum's board of trustees in 2005 and later served as deputy chairwoman.

She also served on the boards of the London Film School and Royal Opera House and was appointed a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2022.

The playwright appeared as a panellist on Newsnight Review and Question Time and served as Chancellor of Kingston University in Kingston upon Thames, London.

Sky News

More from National Headlines

British soldier who died in road crash in Ukraine has been named

The British armed forces member who died in Ukraine over the weekend has been named as Major Paul Wilks.
Army officers cleared of charge over teen soldier who later took her own life

Two senior Army officers have been cleared by a court martial of failing to deal properly with allegations made by a young soldier who took her own life a few months later.
Suspect in 'Putney pusher' case found dead at his home, Sky News understands

A man who was the suspect in the so-called "Putney pusher" case in which a woman was pushed into the path of a bus by a jogger has been found dead at his home, Sky News understands.
Trial of 12 men accused of sexual offences against woman to start next month - after husband admits drugging and raping her

Twelve men accused of sexual offences against a woman will go on trial next month after her husband admitted drugging and raping her over more than 20 years.
Paul Street: Ex-TV police officer who filmed threats aimed at a child jailed

A former police sergeant who asked a colleague to send him an intimate video of a member of the public has been jailed for four years.
Reward offered after British woman kidnapped in Malawi

Police in Malawi have offered a reward after a British woman was kidnapped in the southern African country.
Burnham to delay flagship investment summit until next year

Andy Burnham has shelved Sir Keir Starmer's plan to hold a flagship investment event later this year, with the next summit expected to take place outside London as part of the prime minister's effort to shift economic power into Britain's regions.
Wandsworth Council announces record council tax increase

A London borough has announced plans for a record increase in council tax from next year.