Maya Angelou's Life in Pictures

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. It wasn’t until 1970, when she was 41, that she became an author. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Before Angelou became a published author, she was a dancer. As a young single mother she sang and danced in nightclubs and was noticed by a theater group. Angelou's role in Porgy and Bess allowed her to tour 22 countries in the 1950s.Michael Ochs Archives

Angelou played Kunta Kinte’s grandmother in the landmark 12-hour ABC show "Roots", which aired for eight consecutive nights in 1977. Based on Alex Haley's best-selling novel, "Roots" followed 100 tumultuous years and several generations of the author's African ancestors.ABC/Getty Images

Maya Angelou delivers poem on Bill Clinton's Inauguration Day January 20, 1993 in Washington, DC

Angelou delivered the inaugural poem, “On the Pulse of Morning,” at the swearing-in of President Bill Clinton on January 20, 1993. Angelou and Clinton both spent some of their formative years in Arkansas. Visions of America/UIG/Getty Images

Maya Angelou is pictured at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards, where she took home an award in the Spoken Word category for her poem "On the Pulse of Morning,” which she read for President Bill Clinton's inauguration. Angelou would go on to win two other Grammys in the same category.Moneta Sleet, Jr.—Ebony Collection/Getty Images

US President Bill Clinton(R) congratulates poet/wr

On December 20, 2000, President Bill Clinton, gave Angelou the National Medal of Arts, highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the U.S. government, at Constitution Hall in Washington, DC. Stephen Jaffe—AFP/Getty Images

At the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Angelou paid tribute to civil rights pioneers Fannie Lou Hamer and the Mississippi Freedom Democrats for challenging the all-white state delegation in 1964. Angelou worked for Dr. Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference during the civil rights movement.Ramin Talaie—Corbis

Commencement speaker Angelou smiles after receiving her honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, as she greets Lehigh University President Dr. Gregory C. Farrington at Murray H. Goodman Stadium on May 23, 2005. Angelou held a lifetime professorship at Wake Forest and collected honorary degrees from around 50 schools and colleges. Harry Fisher—AP

Angelou and Oprah Winfrey share laughs during the last taping of the “Oprah Winfrey Show” on May 17, 2011 in Chicago. Charles Rex Arbogast—AP

President Barack Obama kisses Angelou after awarding her the 2010 Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011. Pablo Martinez Monsivais—AP

In Memoriam: Celebrating The Life of Poet Maya Angelou

More Must-Reads from TIME