Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 and died on May 28, 2014. Maya Angelou was an American author and poet. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning more than 50 years. She became a poet and writer after a series of occupations as a young adult, including fry cook, prostitute, nightclub dancer and performer. Angelou died on the morning of May 28, 2014.