By Wonderwall.com Editors
10:06am PDT, Aug 6, 2019
Toni Morrison, the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, passed away on Aug. 5 in New York. She was 88. An author of 11 novels, she won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for "Beloved." Over the course of her life, she received many awards for her writings, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. Her death is being mourned by many celebrities and political leaders and many of them used Toni's own words in their tributes. Click through to see who is honoring the Nobel laureate…
"Toni Morrison was a national treasure, as good a storyteller, as captivating, in person as she was on the page. Her writing was a beautiful, meaningful challenge to our conscience and our moral imagination. What a gift to breathe the same air as her, if only for a while." –Barack Obama
"'Something that is loved is never lost'…encouraging words from the beloved author #ToniMorrison that we can surely use today. So sad to hear of the passing of the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Her legacy will live on through those who were impacted by her powerful and unique voice." –Robin Roberts
"To lose Toni Morrison is terrible enough. But to lose her right now, at this time, makes it immeasurably harder. Long live the words and wisdom of one of the most important writers of all time. #RipToniMorrison" –Amber Tamblyn
"'You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.' Toni Morrison. I cannot imagine growing up in a world without her words. I pray you rest In Peace and in Power. We will celebrate you with endless gratitude and love. Always." —Kerry Washington
"Toni Morrison. While you have left the physical realm, the many treasures you left us will bear fruit for generations and generations. Your work has cascaded through my life deeply and simply…rest in power to a beloved icon." –Tracee Ellis Ross
"'At some point in life the world's beauty becomes enough. You don't need to photograph, paint or even remember it. It is enough.' – Toni Morrison Rest in power." –Piper Perabo
"I tell my students, 'When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else' RIP Toni Morrison." –Nina Garcia
"'If there is a book that you want to read but it hasn't been written yet, you must be the one to write it,' Toni Morrison said. We are all so lucky to live in a world where she took her own advice and shared it with others." –Hillary Clinton
"'We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.' Toni Morrison. I'm deeply sadden [sic] to share that one of our greatest writers and minds in American History, Toni Morrison, passed away at the age of 88. May God Bless Her Soul." —Common
"#ToniMorrison has died. Just when we most need to hear her voice, she is gone. Thank you for the insights, the stories, and the poetry of your thought that have enriched us all these many years. Lay your burden down." –Bette Midler
"Oh no…no no no… Toni Morrison made me fall in love with words-she used them with greater skill and artistry than anyone I've ever read. She was to writing what Aretha was to music. Those who were lucky enough to know or meet her I'm so sorry & so envious. She was everything." –Joy Reid
"'On the shoulders of giants' Rest In Peace Toni Morrison" —Ellen Barkin
"'If you look at the world as a brutal game, then you bump into the mystery of the tree-shaped scar. There seems to be such a thing as grace, such a thing as beauty, such a thing as harmony. All of which are wholly free and available to us.' Your life was our gift, #ToniMorrison" –Ava DuVernay
"'I get angry about things, then go on and work.' -Toni Morrison RIP" –Wendell Pierce
"Rest well @ToniMorrison" –Sanaa Lathan
