Celebrated poet, author and civil rights activist Dr Maya Angelou has passed away on Wednesday in her North Carolina home.

She died Wednesday morning at age 86, according to officials at the city of Winston-Salem mayor’s office.

Angelou recently cancelled a scheduled appearance at the 2014 MLB Beacon Award Luncheon, where she was to be honored with the Beacon of Life Award, due to health problems.

An official at the Winston-Salem mayor’s office confirmed that the poet had passed away.

Angelou has been honored with more than 50 awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for her collected works of poetry, fiction and nonfiction, including her groundbreaking memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which made history as one of the first nonfiction best-sellers by an African-American woman.

She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning more than fifty years. She received dozens of awards and over thirty honorary doctoral degrees.

Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences.

She was born as Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014.