In the last years of her life, Nikki Giovanni felt her memory fading. At the beginning of the 2023 documentary Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, she offered an inventive take on how the loss affected her: “I remember what’s important,

Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni Jr., the beloved Knoxville native and internationally recognized poet and provocateur, died Monday in Blacksburg, Virginia. Giovanni, 81, held many titles. She was a writer, activist, educator, recipient of the Langston Hughes Medal and NAACP Image Award, Grammy Award nominee and much more.

Nikki Giovanni was a renowned poet and activist for the Black and LGBTQ+ community. She died at age 81, surrounded by family. Here's what to know.