Toni Morrison died on August 6, 2019 at the
Montefiore Medical Center in New York. Her death was confirmed by her publisher,
Alfred A. Knopf, in a statement to Twitter. In 1993, Morrison was
the first black woman to
receive the Nobel Prize. She received the award for her
work in literature, having written
books such as “Beloved” and “Jazz.” According to ‘Time,’ her writing “illuminated
the joys and agonies of black American life.” Morrison was also awarded the Presidential Medal of
Freedom in 2012 from former president Barack Obama.