Advertisement Dr. Maya Angelou dead at 86 Winston-Salem resident was Wake Forest professor since 1982 Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Dr. Maya Angelou, a Winston-Salem resident whose work in the arts and civil rights touched people around the world, has died.Angelou (pronounced ANJ'-eh-loh) passed quietly at her home just before 8 a.m. Wednesday, according to a family statement. She was 86."Her family is extremely grateful that her ascension was not belabored by a loss of acuity or comprehension," the statement said.Images: Maya Angelou (1928-2014)"She lived a life as a teacher, activist, artist and human being," the statement continued. "She was a warrior for equality, tolerance and peace. The family is extremely appreciative of the time we had with her and we know that she is looking down upon us with love."Just five days ago, Angelou said she couldn't attend an awards ceremony before Friday's Major League Baseball Civil Rights Game due to undisclosed health reasons. That same afternoon, Angelou sent her last tweet: "Listen to yourself and in that quietude you might hear the voice of God."Angelou had been the Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University since 1982. She last taught at Wake Forest in the summer of 2011 and planned to teach a course this fall.Wake Forest president Nathan Hatch released the following statement:"Maya Angelou has been a towering figure -- at Wake Forest and in American culture. She had a profound influence in civil rights and racial reconciliation. We will miss profoundly her lyrical voice and always keen insights."In a statement Wednesday, President Barack Obama called Angelou "one of the brightest lights of our time" who inspired his mother to name his sister Maya."A childhood of suffering and abuse actually drove (Angelou) to stop speaking – but the voice she found helped generations of Americans find their rainbow amidst the clouds, and inspired the rest of us to be our best selves," Obama's statement continued.Live Wire: Maya Angelou reactions from around the worldAngelou was born April 4, 1928, in St. Louis. At 14, Angelou became San Francisco's first black female cable car conductor, and in the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. asked Angelou to serve as northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.She gained acclaim for her first book, her autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," making her one of the first African-American women to write a best-seller.In 1998, she directed the film "Down in the Delta" about a drug-wrecked woman who returns to the home of her ancestors in the Mississippi Delta.She was the poet chosen to read at President Bill Clinton's first inauguration in 1993. She wrote and read an original composition, "On the Pulse of Morning," which became a million-seller.Angelou received many accolades, including dozens of honorary degrees, the Presidential Medal of Arts in 2000 and the Lincoln Medal in 2008.Wake Forest officials said they're working on a date for a campus memorial service.Stay with WXII 12 News, WXII12.com and the WXII Mobile app as details develop.