Guy Johnson, Maya Angelou’s son and civil rights fighter, died at the age of 77. Ms. Angelou gave birth to Guy when she was only 16 years old.
Johnson died peacefully Wednesday morning, Feb. 16, at his home in Oakland, according to Maya Angelou’s official social media account.
“Mr. GUY JOHNSON died peacefully at his home in Oakland, California this morning. In the next days, arrangements will be made and announced.
During this terrible time, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy. Thank you for your prayers, as well as your words of encouragement and support “it is
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Johnson, who is also a poet and an author, had spoken to KRON on Monday, Feb. 14, about Angelou becoming the first Black woman on a U.S. coin. ‘
He reportedly played a major role in choosing Angelou’s depiction for the quarter. She is pictured with her arms uplifted with a bird in flight behind her.
“One of the reasons I chose that image is, first off, I know how difficult it is to capture the actual essence and animus of a human being on a metal coin, and I thought that picture with the bird behind her, the wings and her arms out gave some sense of the style that she had, the grace that she had,” he said.
“She was a dancer for many years, and I really thought that was the best image of her,” he added.
