The world lost one of the most influential icons of the last century this morning.

Legendary poet and author Maya Angelou passed away Wednesday at her North Carolina home. Her literary agent, Helen Brann, confirmed the news to members of the press earlier today.

Angelou originally began taking an interest in the world of poetry after a childhood tragedy stunned her into silence for years. After graduating high school, she took an interest in music and dance that eventually lead her to join a touring production throughout Europe in the 1950s. That same decade she would go on to record her first album and join Harlem Writers Guild in New York.

Ms. Angelou also made several appearances on the silver screen, including a role alongside rapper Tupac Shakur in the film Poetic Justice.

Many people referred to Maya Angelou as Dr. Angelou, though she never actually attended college. According to CNN, she received more than 30 honorary degrees and taught American studies for years at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem.

We could write about Dr. Angelou’s accomplishments for many more paragraphs, but even then we would fail to do her work justice. We will, however, encourage you to read more about her, as well as her own writing, when time allows. Her impact on culture has been profound, and it will no doubt continue to influence people for many generations to come.

Rest in peace, Ms. Angelou. You will be missed.

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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