Maya Angelou, a modern Renaissance woman who survived the harshest of childhoods to become a force on stage, screen, the printed page and the inaugural dais, has died. She was 86.
Her death was confirmed in a statement issued by Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she had served as a professor of American Studies since 1982.
“Dr. Angelou was a national treasure whose life and teachings inspired millions around the world, including countless students, faculty and staff at Wake Forest,” the university said in a statement on its website.
She had been scheduled to attend the 2014 MLB Beacon Awards Luncheon on May 30 but pulled out for “health reasons,” Major League Baseball said last week.