Author J. California Cooper died on Saturday at the age of 82, reports Ebony.
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Cooper, who was named Black Playwright of the Year in 1978, wrote numerous short stories and 17 plays, including Strangers, Loners and Everytime It Rains. One of her best-known works is the short story “Funny Valentines,” which was turned into a made-for-TV movie starring Alfre Woodard and Loretta Devine in 1999. She also published six short-story collections: A Piece of Mine; Homemade Love, which won the 1986 American Book Award; Some Soul to Keep; The Matter Is Life; Some Love, Some Pain, Sometime; and Wild Stars Seeking Midnight Suns.
A Berkeley, Calif., native, the prolific author passed away in Seattle. The family has not yet released funeral information.
Read more at Ebony.
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