Esther Thomas, the Nigerian skit maker widely known as Sunshine, has passed away.
The family of the deceased confirmed the sad development on her Instagram page on Saturday.
According to the statement released, the content creator died on Friday following complications from an unsuccessful surgery for fibroid.
“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 post reads.
“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.”
A fellow content creator Chidera Madu took to Facebook to recounted how Sunshine began experiencing stomach pain on December 28, 2025.
He said Sunshine’s situation later worsened and she was diagnosed with fibroid.
He added that she was initially admitted at Orchid General Hospital, where she was unknowingly given only pain relief due to an ongoing doctors’ strike, prompting her transfer to another hospital on January 2 for further treatment.
He added that Sunshine later underwent surgery which was described as successful, but she developed complications afterwards and 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.”
