Maya Angelou: US Author, Poet And Activist Dies Aged 86

One of America's leading literary voices, she made her name with the 1969 memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

It was the first of seven volumes of autobiography that traced her life from a childhood of abuse and oppression in the Deep South in the 1930s.

Her family said: "She lived a life as a teacher, activist, artist and human being. She was a warrior for equality, tolerance and peace."