Maya Angelou Remembered as 'Bright Light'

Famed poet, author, actress, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou passed away at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Wednesday.

Born April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, Angelou first began writing poetry at age nine.

She rose from poverty and segregation in the South to pen "On the Pulse of the Morning," the most popular presidential inaugural poem in history.

"I will always be grateful for her electrifying reading of 'On the Pulse of Morning' at my first inaugural and even more for all the years of friendship that followed," former President Bill Clinton said in a statement Wednesday.

The former poet laureate is considered one of the first black women to enjoy mainstream success, winning numerous awards for her autobiography, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."

President Barack Obama was among many politicians and celebrities who honored Angelou's legacy, saying her death has dimmed "one of the brightest lights of our time."

"A childhood of suffering and abuse actually drove her to stop speaking," the president said. "But the voice she found helped generations of Americans find their rainbow amidst the clouds and inspired the rest of us to be our best selves."

Clinton echoed those sentiments, saying the nation has lost a "national treasure."

"Now she sings the songs the Creator gave to her when the river 'and the tree and the stone were one,'" he said.

Angelou was 86 years old.