Overview

• Debbie Allen announced her mother's death on Aug. 20 in an Instagram tribute that referenced Ayers' acclaimed long-form poem Hawk.
• Ayers turned 102 on July 29, with four generations gathering for a family celebration shared by Allen.
• Her career spanned poetry, playwriting, and classical scholarship, including studies in Greek at Rice, Columbia, and Princeton.
• Her early collection Spice of Dawns was reported by the Houston Chronicle as a Pulitzer Prize nominee, and she later received honorary doctorates from Bennett College and Wilberforce University.
• She is survived by her four children — Phylicia Rashad, Debbie Allen, Andrew Arthur “Tex” Allen Jr., and Hugh Allen — as friends and colleagues offered public condolences.