Kenan's death came out of the blue. (Image via author photo) UNC professor Randall Kenan, renowned for his writings on the Black gay experience, was found dead Friday, August 28, in his Hillsborough, North Carolina, home.
He was just 57. In a statement, Terry Rhodes, Dean of UNC's College of Arts & Sciences, said: He was one of the leading lights at Carolina.
He was a Tar Heel alumnus, a native North Carolinian who loved writing about his roots, beloved by his students, a mentor to younger writers and a master craftsman and storyteller.
We will miss him greatly. Born March 12, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York, he grew up in rural North Carolina. He discovered his love of writing while attending the UNC at Chapel Hill in the '80s.