Poet and author Maya Angelou dead at 86

[R3P0]

Reports are coming out that Poet and author Maya Angelou has died today.

Poet and author Maya Angelou has reportedly died at age 86.

Angelou had been celebrated everywhere from the Grammy Awards to the White House. She received three Grammys for best spoken word album, a National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor.

The poet and author of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" was last year's recipient of the Literarian Award, an honorary National Book Award for contributions to the literary community. It was her first major literary prize.

In August, Angelou gave thousands of Detroit Public Schools teachers a shot of encouragement by calling them "a bridge over troubled waters."

"I am grateful to you all for being a bridge over troubled waters," Angelou said.

In Detroit, Angelou shared examples of how teachers can impact the lives of troubled youth, including a story from the set of the 1993 film "Poetic Justice," she came across a particularly angry actor, the late Tupac Shakur.

Angelou told the audience her comments had a profound impact on Shakur, whose mother wrote her and said her words "may have saved his life."