Legendary American author and poet Maya Angelou has passed at the age of 86, her literary agent, Helen Brann, said on Wednesday.
Angelou died in her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The award-winning author was best known for her first memoir, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings,” which was released in 1970.
Despite the fact that Angelou was a high school dropout, she went on to become a professor of American Studies at Wake University. She was also awarded more than 30 honorary degrees from colleges. In 2011 President Barack Obama awarded her with the Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor. Angelou also read at President Bill Clinton’s first inauguration in 1993.
Angelou was also an influential voice in the civil rights movement working alongside Dr Martin Luther King Jr. King was assassinated on her birthday.
The poet was known for her many quotes which often reflected back on her own life.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel,” she once said.
