Award-winning playwright Ntozake Shange has passed away at the age of 70.

The Star Tribune reports that Shange died in her sleep without suffering at an assisted living facility on Saturday morning (October 27).

Known for the choreopoem For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, Shange has been praised for empowering women of color in her writing.

“Zake was a woman of extravagance and flourish, and she left quickly without suffering,” Ifa Bayeza, her sister, told the newspaper. “It’s a huge loss for the world. I don’t think there’s a day on the planet when there’s not a young woman who discovers herself through the words of my sister.”

Ntozake Shange suffered numerous stokes in recent years, but it didn’t keep her from continuing to write and give readings. She leaves behind a daughter, Savannah Shange, and granddaughter, Harriet Shange Watkins.

Our thoughts are with Ntozake’s friends and family during this difficult time.