WASHINGTON — Maya Angelou, a world-renowned author, poet and civil rights activist, has died, CBS reports. She was 86.
The Recipient of the National Medal of Arts, the Presidential Medal of Freedom died in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines says Angelou was found dead at her home by her caretaker Wednesday, NBC reports.
Angelou gained acclaim for her first book, her autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” making her one of the first African-American women to write a best-seller.
In 1998, she directed the film “Down in the Delta” about a drug-wrecked woman who returns to the home of her ancestors in the Mississippi Delta.
Angelou was to attend the 2014 MLB Beacon Awards Luncheon on May 30, where she was to be honored.
But Major League Baseball cited “health reasons” last Friday in saying the she would not make it to the event in Houston, Texas, before the annual Civil Rights Game.
Angelou spoke at former President Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration, reciting her poem, “On the Pulse of the Morning.”
Angelou has received more than 50 honorary degrees and had been a Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University.
Wake Forest released the following statement:
“Today members of the Wake Forest University community mourn the loss of beloved poet, author, actress, civil rights activist and professor Dr. Maya Angelou
Dr. Angelou was a national treasure whose life and teachings inspired millions around the world, including countless students, faculty, and staff at Wake Forest, where she served as Reynolds Professor of American Studies since 1982.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Dr. Angelou’s family and friends during this difficult time.”
The university said it would hold a campus memorial service.
Here is Angelou’s last tweet:
Listen to yourself and in that quietude you might hear the voice of God.
— Maya Angelou (@DrMayaAngelou) May 23, 2014
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter and on WTOP Facebook page.
