The trailblazing author Toni Morrison , winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, died Monday night at the age of 88, her publisher, Knopf, confirmed Tuesday.

We are profoundly sad to report that Toni Morrison has died at the age of eighty-eight. “We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.” February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019 pic.twitter.com/DWnElCpMKc

She died at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, a spokeswoman for Knopf said in a statement. A cause of death was not specified.

Her family also confirmed her death Tuesday in a statement, issued through Princeton University, where she had taught since 1989.

It is with profound sadness we share that, following a short illness, our adored mother and grandmother, Toni Morrison, passed away peacefully last night surrounded by family and friends. She was an extremely devoted mother, grandmother, and aunt who reveled in being with her family and friends. The consummate writer who treasured the written word, whether her own, her students or others, she read voraciously and was most at home when writing. Although her passing represents a tremendous loss, we are grateful she had a long, well lived life. While we would like to thank everyone who knew and loved her, personally or through her work, for their support at this difficult time, we ask for privacy as we mourn this loss to our family. We will share information in the near future about how we will celebrate Toni’s incredible life.

Morrison was best known for her 1987 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Beloved,” later adapted into a 1998 film starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover. In 1993, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first black woman to receive the honor.

The Nobel committee honored her career and dedication to centering the lives and histories of African Americans, writing in its citation that Morrison’s work is “characterized by visionary force and poetic import” and “gives life to an essential aspect of American reality.”

In 2012, then-President Barack Obama awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“I remember reading ‘Song of Solomon’ when I was a kid and not just trying to figure out how to write, but also how to be and how to think,” Obama said, referring to her 1977 novel.