Author Maya Angelou dies

Maya Angelou, the American author, poet and civil rights activist, has died aged 86. The author shot to fame with her autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, in 1970, being one of the first black women in the world to write a bestseller.

Angelou rose from a childhood of poverty to become a force of nature in the civil rights movement. She befriended such prominent figures as Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Reportedly, Nelson Mandela watched the film version of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings in prison in 1986 and found her story inspiring.

Ms Angelou died in her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina today, according to her son.

In the 50s and 60s Ms Angelou performed as an actress, singer and dancer, before finding global recognition for her literary work.