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American author Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize for Literature. Getty Images / Daniel Boczarski / FilmMagic

Toni Morrison, the first African-American author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, died at the age of 88, her family said on Tuesday.

" Toni Morrison died peacefully last night, surrounded by family and friends, " said a statement from relatives. Descendant of a family of slaves, Toni Morrison is known to have given black literary visibility.

Her novel Beloved , a tragedy of a mother who kills her daughter to escape slavery, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1988.

Among his other best known works are The Bluest Eye or Jazz , Beloved's sequel.

► See also: Toni Morrison, tireless storyteller from Black America

► See also: Toni Morrison goes back to the roots of American racism

( More information to come )