Literary and civil rights movement icon Maya Angelou, has passed away at the age of 86. The author was found in her Winston Salem home early Wednesday. Her death was confirmed in a statement issued by Wake Forest University where she had taught as a professor of American Studies since 1982. Widely known for her 1970 published memoir “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Angelou published a total of 30 books including six autobiographies and many books of poetry. She was also an accomplished actress appearing on several TV programs, including the 1977 miniseries “Roots.” and was nominated for a Tony Award in 1973 for her appearance in the play “Look Away.”
Much of Angelou’s fame came from her work on civil rights issues. During the 1960′s she worked as a coordinator for the civil rights group Southern Christian Leadership Council, before living in Egypt and Ghana, where she met Malcolm X. She remained close to him until his assassination, in 1965. Angelou was also active in helping Martin Luther King Jr. organize the Poor People’s March in Memphis, Tennessee, where the civil rights leader was slain on her 40th birthday.