US author, poet Maya Angelou dies in North Carolina: reports
File phot of Maya Angelou receiving a Medal of Freedom from US President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, February 15, 2011. PHOTO: REUTERS
US author and poet Maya Angelou has died at age 86 in North Carolina, local media reported on Wednesday, citing her agent and a local official.
Angelou provided eloquent commentary on race, gender and living life to its fullest in poems and memoirs such as I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which brought her wide acclaim.
She wrote more than 30 books and was a Grammy winner for three spoken-word albums. She had a home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she was a professor of American studies at Wake Forest University.
She was honored at the National Book Awards ceremony last year for her service to the literary community.
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