• National Medal of Arts Ceremony

    Image Credit: Photo Credit: STEPHEN JAFFE/AFP/Getty Images

    Then-president Bill Clinton congratulated Angelou after presenting her with the National Medal of Arts during a ceremony on Dec. 20, 2000, at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. The award is presented to individuals for their contributions to the arts in America.

  • 82nd Birthday Party

    Image Credit: Photo Credit: Steve Exum/Getty Images

    Director Lee Daniels attended Angelou's 82nd birthday party at the poet's home in Winston-Salem, N.C., on May 20, 2010.

     

  • 82nd Birthday Party

    Image Credit: Photo Credit: Steve Exum/Getty Images)

    Musician Common also attended Angelou's party at her home.

  • 82nd Birthday Party

    Image Credit: Photo Credit: Steve Exum/Getty Images)

    Naomi Judd chatted with an emotional Angelou at her 82nd birthday party.

  • Norman Mailer Center Gala

    Image Credit: Photo Credit: Brad Barket/Getty Images for The Norman Mailer Center

    Angelou chatted with Tony Bennett at the Norman Mailer Center's fifth annual Benefit Gala on Oct. 17, 2013, in New York.

  • ‘Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular’

    Image Credit: Photo Credit: AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

    Angelou, left, shared a laugh with Alicia Keys and Oprah Winfrey during a star-studded double-taping of Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular on Tuesday, May 17, 2011, in Chicago. The special marked the end of the The Oprah Winfrey Show's 25-year run. Angelou was a longtime mentor to Winfrey.

  • BET Honors

    Image Credit: Photo Credit: Frank Micelotta/Invsion/AP

    First lady Michelle Obama embraced Angelou, an honoree at the BET Honors 2012, which were held Jan. 14, 2012, at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC.

  • Hillary Clinton Campaign Stop

    Image Credit: Photo Credit: AP Photo/Chuck Burton

    Angelou enjoyed a moment as then-U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke during a campaign stop at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., on April 18, 2008.

  • Portrait Unveiling

    Image Credit: Photo Credit: Paul Morigi/AP Images for National Portrait Gallery

    Cicely Tyson, left, and Oprah Winfrey, right, attended Angelou's portrait unveiling at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery on April 5, 2014, in Washington, D.C.

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