Angelou Feeling Ill

By Stephen M. Silverman

10/30/1997 at 12:00 AM EST

Poet Maya Angelou, 72, canceled an appearance at the University of Nebraska in Omaha after becoming ill on Friday. She went to an emergency room but was not admitted into the hospital, reports the Associated Press. "She was extremely exhausted and needed the wheelchair to get around," said a university spokeswoman. A Friday speaking engagement by the "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" author had to be canceled. Last year, Angelou reportedly suffered pneumonia.