Prof. Chinua Achebe, the father of modern African literature, the news of whose death News Express broke this morning, died peacefully, it has emerged.

A statement released by his agent and family confirmed that his death last night in a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, came “following a brief illness.”

According to the statement, “One of the great literary voices of his time, he was also a beloved husband, father, uncle and grandfather, whose wisdom and courage are an inspiration to all who knew him. Professor Achebe's family requests privacy at this time.”

It described his “wisdom and courage” as an “inspiration to all who knew him.”

Meanwhile, the Anambra State Government has confirmed Achebe’s death.

Mike Udah, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Peter Obi, told the BBC that they are mourning the death of “the illustrious son of the state, Nigeria and Africa.”

One of Africa’s best known authors, his 1958 debut novel Things Fall Apart, which dealt with the impact of colonialism in Africa, has sold more than 10 million copies.

He taught at the University of Nigeria Nsukka until 1990 when a car accident left him paralysed from the waist down and in a wheelchair, forcing him tonrelocate to the USA, where he continued to work as a professor.

Born in Ogidi, Anambra State, on November 16, 1930, Achebe published his last book last year. Entitled There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra, the book documents his experiences during the three-year Biafran war (1967-70) and has stoked much controversy.