The Nigerian skit maker popularly known as Sunshine, Esther Thomas, has died.
Her death was confirmed on Saturday through a statement posted by family members on her Instagram page.
According to the family, Sunshine passed away on Friday after complications arising from an unsuccessful fibroid surgery.
“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,” the statement read.
“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 separate Facebook post, fellow content creator Chidera Madu shared details of the events leading to her death, explaining that Sunshine first complained of stomach pain on December 28, 2025, which later became severe and was diagnosed as fibroid.
He disclosed that she was initially admitted to Orchid General Hospital, where she was unknowingly placed on pain relief alone due to an ongoing doctors’ strike, before being transferred to another hospital on January 2 for further treatment.
He added that Sunshine later underwent surgery which was reported as successful, but she developed complications afterwards and eventually died.
“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 fibroid that had grown significantly. She was admitted and placed on medication at Orchid General Hospital,” he said.
“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.
“As the pain worsened, doctors advised that she undergo surgery, which was performed yesterday.
“According to the doctor, the surgery was successful, but she later developed complications that led to her death.”
Aside from her work as a skit maker, Sunshine was also a model, brand influencer and video vixen.