Who was Dr Vivian Ayers Allen? Age and all about the celebrated poet as she passes away

Dr. Vivian Ayers Allen recently passed away on August 18, 2025. She was 102 years old. The cultural activist’s work received a lot of praise over the years, and she later published a magazine called The Adept Quarterly. As a poet, Ayers’ skills were appreciated in collections such as New Negro Poets, USA.

The playwright celebrated her 102nd birthday three weeks before she died. However, her daughter Debbie Allen was the first person to reveal the heartbreaking news through Instagram on Wednesday, August 20.

The singer and actress added a video to her social media post featuring glimpses of her mother on different occasions. Vivian was spotted participating in a lot of events and holding babies in her arms.

“Mommie you have transformed that cosmic bird Hawk that lives and breathes Freedom. We will follow your trail of golden dust and continue to climb higher. We promise “to be true be beautiful be Free” Love Love Love Love Love [heart emojis]”, Debbie Allen wrote.

Apart from Debbie, Vivian had another daughter named Phylicia Rashad, who has been active in the entertainment industry for a long time. Ayers was the mother of two more children - Andrew Arthur “Tex” Allen Jr. and Hugh Allen.

On the occasion of her mother’s birthday last month, Debbie posted another video on the same platform, where Vivian Ayers Allen cut a cake while being surrounded by all those who were close to her. Allen also wrote below the clip:

“Four generations showed up to celebrate and @iamBrandonONeal sent a beautiful bday tribute. Thank you to all of those that sent flowers to show their love! The celebration continues.”

Vivian Ayers Allen was active in different fields: Career and other details explained

According to the Houston Chronicle, the Chester, South Carolina native, was a resident of Washington, D.C., after she exchanged vows with Arthur Allen. She even spent a portion of her life in Houston and wrote a book titled Hawk. Hawk was a poem covered in a particular book featuring themes like anxiety.

Apart from appearing with her daughters at different events, Vivian participated in poetry readings, and one of them was organized at the Houston-based Museum of Fine Arts in 2005.

Vivian Ayers Allen studied Mesoamerican math and astronomy while she was raising her kids at the same time. Furthermore, she was once employed at the Fondren Library of Rice University, serving as an apprentice librarian, as per the Houston Chronicle.

The outlet stated that she formed a program known as Workshops in Open Fields, and later took the initiative to preserve the important works of the Brainerd Institute with the launch of Brainerd Institute Heritage. In addition, she established the Texas-based Adept American Folk Gallery and formed a similar spot in Mount Vernon, called Adept American Museum.

As a playwright, she had some projects in her credits, such as Bow Boly and The Marriage Ceremony. Furthermore, Vivian was also in the final batch of graduates from the Brainerd Institute in Chester, which discontinued its operations many years ago, as stated by The Herald.

While speaking to the outlet in 2018, Vivian Ayers Allen opened up on how she taught her children to become disciplined, saying that it is a hard thing to do when someone is very young. She further stated:

“Don’t wait for them to ask for something, just playfully take them into something they have never thought about and charm them into taking the disciplines. You have to do that.”

Vivian’s four children, Debbie, Rashad, Andrew, and Hugh, are her only survivors. As of this writing, Ayers’ cause of death has not been disclosed.