posthumous

/ˈpɑsʧʊməs/

If something happens after someone dies, it is described as posthumous — like the posthumous interest in the music of a singer who died "a nobody."

The adjective posthumous comes from Latin — post means "after" and humare, "to bury." (You might also think of humus, which means "dirt" or "earth.") So something that is posthumous happens after a person is dead, like the posthumous discovery that your humble neighbor who lived very modestly was actually a multi-millionaire, or the posthumous publication of a book that the writer finished just before she died.

Definitions of posthumous

1. adjective

   occurring or coming into existence after a person's death
   “a posthumous award”

   “a posthumous book”

   “a posthumous daughter”

   synonyms:

   late

   being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time