Maya Angelou dies aged 86

Tributes have poured in for the American poet, author and activist Maya Angelou who has died aged 86.

Her groundbreaking memoir “I know Why the Caged Bird Sings” told of her own rape along with racism in America’s segregated south. It earned her international acclaim.

President Obama called her “one of the brightest lights of our time”.

She went on to write more than 30 books and won numerous awards

Media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who frequently threw lavish birthday parties for Angelou and considered her a mentor, said she would remember her friend most for how she lived her life.