Sunshine: Popular Nigerian Skit Maker and Actress Passes Away After Surgery
- Famous Nigerian content creator and actress Esther Thomas, popularly known as Sunshine, has died after undergoing surgery
- The news of the skitmaker's death was announced by her family members and a colleague in statements on social media
- News of Sunshine's demise has evoked sadness among many people, including her colleagues and loved ones, who mourned online
Popular Nigerian skit maker and aspiring actress Esther Thomas, popularly known as Sunshine, passed away after having an unsuccessful surgery on Friday, January 9, 2026.
Source: Facebook
The late Sunshine's family members announced her death in a short statement on her official Instagram page on Saturday, January 10, 2026.
What happened to Nigerian skit maker Sunshine?
According to her family, the late Sunshine died from some complications she developed after her fibroid surgery at a medical facility in Nigeria was unsuccessful.
The deceased's family noted that they had begun making arrangements for her burial service. They also shared phone numbers with the members of the public who would like to reach out to them for more information.
The statement read:
"We the family of Esther Thomas (A.K.A Sunshine) with pain in our heart we regret to announce the sudden demise of our beloved sister and daughter Esther Thomas who suddenly passed away on the 9th of January 2026 after an unsuccessful surgery."
"She had fibroid and was operated on so she couldn’t make it so we are trying to put things in place so we could put her to rest."
In a Facebook post, fellow content creator and close associate of Sunshine, Chidera Madu, recounted that she began experiencing stomach pains on Sunday, December 28, 2025, which later worsened. He noted that her ailment was later diagnosed as a fibroid.
The Nigerian skit maker said the deceased was initially admitted to Orchid General Hospital, where she was unknowingly given pain relief.
He noted that Sunshine was subsequently transferred to another medical facility on January 2, 2026, for further treatment due to an ongoing strike among doctors in Nigeria.
Chidera added that his late colleague later underwent surgery, which was described as successful, but she later developed complications and died.
He said:
“On December 28, 2025, she complained of stomach pain, which worsened by January 1, leading to her hospitalisation. Several scans and tests were carried out, and doctors said she had a fibroid that had grown significantly."
"She was admitted at Orchid General Hospital. However, unknown to us at the time, she was only being given pain relief because the doctors meant to treat her were on strike."
"On January 2, I noticed there was no doctor on duty and questioned a nurse, who said a doctor was on the way. I then decided to move her to another hospital, where treatment continued using the scan results from the previous facility."
The Instagram post announcing the death of Sunshine is below:
The Instagram video of Chidera Madu detailing how Sunshine passed away is below:
Who was the late Sunshine?
Sunshine was an award-winning Nigerian content creator, model, influencer, vixen, and skit maker.
She was also an aspiring young actress who featured in a few movies alongside veteran Nollywood stars, including Rex Nosa, Patrick Doyle and Blossom Chukwujekwu.
Notable projects from her filmography include Girls Detty Reunion, which was released during the 2025 Christmas celebrations, and Control.
Source: Facebook
Aside from creating her own skits, Sunshine also collaborated with other popular Nigerian skit makers like Nasty Blaq, Chidera Madu, Fine Boyz Comedy, Pencil Comedian and Syd Iwundu.
In September 2025, she was the recipient of an award at the 10th edition of the Icons Noble Awards Africa scheme.
The Instagram photos of the late Sunshine with an award at an event are below:
Sunshine's demise stirs sad reactions
YEN.com.gh has gathered some comments from social media users below:
Shennels wrote:
"I am still trying to process this. I still can’t believe it."
Katarina_ataman commented:
"No way! What? Sunshine, please? Ah, this is heartbreaking. My sincere condolences to the family. May her soul rest in perfect peace💔."
Djlastking wrote:
"I have no words in the face of this sad news. My deepest and sincerest condolences. I wish you a lot of strength and courage during this very difficult time. My heart is broken, I still can’t believe it."
Chimamanda Adichie's son passes away
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Chimamanda Adichie's son passed away from an illness on Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
The famous writer and her husband released a statement to announce the unfortunate news and detail the events that led to the child's passing.
Many fans worldwide took to social media to extend their condolences to Chimamanda and her husband after the loss of their son.
Source: YEN.com.gh
