This person died in 2014 at age 86. She was a Tony-nominated stage actress, and a calypso dancer for a period of time. In 2011 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was a college professor and a ubiquitous presence on the lecture circuit, and also made several appearances on “Sesame Street”. Throughout her writing, she explored the concepts of personal identity and resilience through the multifaceted lens of race, sex, family, community and the collective past. In 1969, she published her landmark book, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”. Today’s dead celebrity is Maya Angelou.

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 31 “The Greatest” (Muhammad Ali) and Episode 26 “Wild Thing” (Maurice Sendak)

LINKS:

Transcript of this episode

New York Times Obituary for Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou memorial page on Wake Forest University site

Maya Angelou’s poem at the 1993 inauguration

Tracy Morgan’s impersonation of Angelou’s Hallmark Cards on SNL

Maya Angelou for Froot Loops on SNL performed by David Alan Grier

Maya Angelou’s Life in Photos in the New Yorker

“And I Still Rise” Documentary on Maya Angelou

Dead or Alive quiz game

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Poetic Justice (Maya Angelou original)

Famous and Gravy: Dead celebrity biographies