Shoshanna Jordan Hastings was the daughter of an American-born author, cartoonist, and musician, Shel Silverstein.
Silverstein died of a heart attack in May 1999 at his home in Key West, Florida. He was 68.
Her parents, Shel and Susan Jordan Hastings, married after meeting at the Playboy Mansion, where Shel was a guest at Hugh Hefner in the 1960s.
Shoshanna was born on the 30th of June,1970. Her mother, Susan, died one day before her fifth birthday, and the cause of her death is still unknown.
After the death of her mother, she went on to live with her uncle and aunt in Baltimore, Maryland.
How Did Shoshanna Die?
Shoshanna died tragically of a cerebral aneurysm on the 24th of April, 1982. She was just 11.
Her father's book "A Light in the Attic," which comprises 135 poems with illustrations that her father also created, is dedicated to her.
The book was number two on the New York Times best-seller list and remained on the list for 50 consecutive weeks. It also received the William Allen White Children's Book Award in 1984.
She Was The First-Born Child
Shoshanna was the first-born child and only daughter of her parents. But her father was a father of two.
After her mother's death, her father later met Key West Native Sarah Spencer, who drove a tourist train.
They gave birth to their son Matthew De Ver in 1984, two years after Shoshanna's death.
Their son Matthew is a New York City-based songwriter and producer.
Age And Net Worth
Shoshanna Jordan died at the age of 11. Her father had a net worth of 20 million dollars at the time of his death.
About Her Father
Her father Shel was born Sheldon Allan to a Jewish family in Chicago in 1930. He was drafted into the U.S. Army after two failed college attempts.
He served in Japan and Korea. It was during that time he started publishing his cartoons in the Stars and Stripes.
During an interview with Stars and Stripes at the time, he said that the job was enormous for a guy of his age and, with his limited experience, to turn out cartoons on a day-to-day deadline suddenly.
It was a great opportunity, and he blossomed there. He said he happened to be in the right place at the right time here.
After his military service, he returned to the US and started working as a freelance cartoonist before getting a big break when Playboy founder Hugh Hefner approached him to draw for his new men's magazine.
Silverstein, in an interview, shared how he got into Playboy.
He said he couldn't sell his stuff, even his blood, after he came out of the army.
But he didn't want to go to Playboy as well, thinking it to be just a skin book, but he went there anyway because he didn't have any place else to go.
In 1963, Silverstein met book editor Ursula Nordstrom, who persuaded him to write books for children.
His first children's book, Uncle Shelby's Story of Lafcadio, The Lion Who Shot Back, was published the same year.
Silverstein said that many people think it's inconsistent of him to write a book because of how he lives and what he does because he works for Playboy.
Silverstein received widespread recognition as a children's book author with the publication of " The Giving Tree."
His Musical Sides
He was a good musician as well. He wrote songs and played guitar. He was also a playwright.
He wrote Johnny Cash's hit song "A Boy Named Sue," for which Silverstein was awarded Best Country Song.
His song "I'm Checking Out" from the film Postcards from the Edge received an Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.
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