Ursula Hegi: key obituary facts
Is Ursula Hegi dead? Yes. Ursula Hegi died on July 27, 2026, at age 80.
Cause of death: Ursula Hegi's cause of death was reported as stroke.
What was Ursula Hegi known for?
She was a German-American novelist, short story writer.
More about Ursula Hegi
Born: 23 May 1946.
Place of birth: Düsseldorf.
Gender: female.
Occupation: novelist.
Nationality: United States.
Education: University of New Hampshire.
Ursula Hegi, the German-born American writer known for novels including Floating in My Mother’s Palm and Stones from the River, died on July 27, 2026, aged 80.
Born Ursula Johanna Koch on May 23, 1946, in Büderich, a suburb of Düsseldorf, Germany, she later moved to the United States, became a naturalized citizen, and studied at the University of New Hampshire. Hegi also taught in the MFA program in creative writing at Stony Brook Southampton.
Her work was shaped in part by her upbringing in postwar Germany and by the history that surrounded it.