R.I.P.: Dr. Maya Angelou

 Dr. Maya Angelou, who has reportedly battled health problems recently, has died.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports that a hearse with a police escort pulled away from her North Carolina home about 9 a.m. this morning.  The city's mayor, Allen Joines, and her publicist both confirmed that Dr. Angelou was found by her caretaker early this morning.

She had previouly canceled her appearance at the 2014 MLB Beacon Awards Luncheon in Houston that is scheduled for this Friday, where she was set to receive an award.

The legendary poet, activist, civil rights leader, film director, teacher, and former singer & dancer has an 18-room house in Winston-Salem, as well as two town houses in Harlem.  She was most recently serving as the Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University.

The story of Dr. Angelou will always be a grand and legendary one.

The Phenomenal Woman was born Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4, 1928.  As for how she came to Maya Angelou: Her older brother Bailey gave her the nickname Maya. She adopted the last name of Angelou during the early 1950s when she began performing as a dancer and singer. The name was a variation on her first husband’s, Tosh Angelos’, surname.

We would be here for weeks if we listed the accomplishments of Dr. Angelou.  But some noteworthy notations: She has 50 honorary degrees, a Pulitzer Prize nomination, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, several Tony Award nominations, a Grammy Award for Spoken Word, admiration from our world leaders and several other accolades during her lifetime.

I've been blessed to have Maya Angelou as my mentor, mother/sister, and friend since my 20’s. She was there for me always, guiding me through some of the most important years of my life. The world knows her as a poet but at the heart of her, she was a teacher. ‘When you learn, teach. When you get, give’ is one of my best lessons from her. She won three Grammys, spoke six languages and was the second poet in history to recite a poem at a presidential inauguration. But what stands out to me most about Maya Angelou is not what she has done or written or spoken, it’s how she lived her life. She moved through the world with unshakeable calm, confidence and a fierce grace. I loved her and I know she loved me. I will profoundly miss her. She will always be the rainbow in my clouds.

-Oprah