Celebrities react to Maya Angelou’s death

WASHINGTON — Poet Maya Angelou touched the lives of millions of people through her inspirational words and prolific writings.

She counted world leaders and celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Bill and Hillary Clinton and even South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu among her many friends.

She was selected to read during former President Clinton’s inauguration in 1993.

For that event, Angelou wrote and read an original composition, “On the Pulse of Morning,” which became a million-seller.

She was the author of more than 30 best-selling works, including “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”

The professor of American studies at Wake Forest University also worked in film and TV and has won three Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts and the Lincoln Medal.

“I’m not modest,” she told The Associated Press in 2013.

“I have no modesty. Modesty is a learned behavior. But I do pray for humility, because humility comes from the inside out.”

Fans have taken to Twitter to express their sadness following Angelou’s death Wednesday morning at the age of 86:

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