Many celebrities have expressed their sentiments on the heartbreaking death of Dr. Maya Angelou, but few have had as close of a bond to the famous poet than Oprah Winfrey, who regularly quoted Angelou and featured her dear friend on her show and network on many occasions. Recently, Winfrey spoke to “Entertainment Tonight” about her friendship with Angelou and shared details about her last conversation with the late icon.
During the interview, Winfrey explained that she’ll be speaking at Angelou’s memorial service on June 7. She also revealed that she was supposed to visit Angelou after she finished filming scenes for her Martin Luther King Jr., biopic, Selma, in Atlanta. However, the two women ended up having a phone conversation instead.
“Sunday, just before coming down here I had an hour-long conversation with her,” said Winfrey. “She was so proud that I was doing this movie, and she said, ‘Take it, baby. Take it all the way,’ because she was a part of the movement.”
Winfrey and Angelou’s friendship dates back to the days before Winfrey was a famous media icon and in her interview she recalls how she first met Angelou and convinced her to talk to her.
“We met because when I was a young reporter in Baltimore and she was coming through town she was speaking at a school,” said Winfrey. “I called her up and said, ‘If you give me five minutes of your time. I promise you I won’t take more than five minutes.’ And I didn’t take more than five minutes and when I finished she said, ‘Who are you, girl?’”
Clearly, Angelou liked the “girl” she was speaking to and the two formed a close bond that lasted for decades. With so many years of friendship and such a heavy loss on her heart, Winfrey certainly has a lot of memories to pull from when she speaks at Angelou’s service. However, Winfrey explains that she’s not sure what she’ll say when she gets to the service.
“I don’t know what I will say, but it will just come,” Winfrey said.
Well, we’re sure that whatever words she comes up with will be heartfelt and powerful. – nicholas robinson
