Maya Angelou’s Husband: The Truth About Her Marriages and Love Life

Maya Angelou lived a life so full, creative, and unapologetically her own that it naturally sparks curiosity about the people closest to her. When readers search for Maya Angelou’s husband, they are often looking for a simple answer—who she married and whether love played a central role in her life. The truth is both simple and complex. Yes, she married, but marriage was never the measure of her worth, fulfillment, or identity. Understanding her husbands means understanding her unwavering commitment to independence.

Who Is Maya Angelou?

Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Annie Johnson, was one of the most influential voices in American literature and culture. She was a poet, memoirist, singer, dancer, civil rights activist, and educator whose career spanned more than five decades. Her groundbreaking memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings brought global attention to her life story, addressing trauma, racism, womanhood, and resilience with unprecedented honesty.

Angelou worked alongside figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, taught at universities, wrote poetry that became cultural touchstones, and recited her work at presidential inaugurations. Throughout it all, she remained fiercely self-defined. Her personal relationships, including marriage, were meaningful chapters—but never the headline.

How Many Times Was Maya Angelou Married?

Maya Angelou was legally married twice. While rumors and conflicting sources sometimes suggest more, most credible biographies and accounts confirm two marriages spread across different phases of her life.

Her first marriage occurred in her early twenties, a time marked by exploration and self-discovery. Her second came decades later, after she had already established herself as a formidable creative force. In between—and beyond—were significant romantic relationships that shaped her life without necessarily involving marriage.

This distinction matters because Angelou herself resisted the idea that a woman’s life should be defined by marital status. For her, love was important, but freedom was essential.

Tosh Angelos – Maya Angelou’s First Husband

Maya Angelou married Tosh Angelos in 1951. He was a Greek-American man, often described as a former sailor and electrician, and their relationship began at a time when interracial marriages were still widely condemned in the United States.

Their marriage lasted until 1954, and though brief, it played a pivotal role in Angelou’s early adulthood. During this period, she was finding her footing as a performer and artist, navigating motherhood, and learning how to survive—emotionally and financially—on her own terms.

The origin of the name “Angelou”

One lasting legacy of this marriage was her professional name. After the divorce, Marguerite Johnson adopted “Maya Angelou,” a name derived from her nickname and a variation of her married surname. What began as a stage name eventually became one of the most recognizable literary names in the world.

The choice reflects something essential about Angelou’s character: even when a relationship ended, she took what was useful, reshaped it, and moved forward without bitterness.

Later Marriages and Long-Term Relationships

Angelou’s second marriage was to Paul du Feu, a Welsh writer and carpenter, in the early 1970s. By this time, she was already internationally respected for her writing and activism. The marriage, like her first, did not last, ending sometime in the early 1980s.

While less is publicly discussed about this relationship, its placement in her life is telling. Angelou was no longer a young woman searching for direction. She was fully formed, creatively powerful, and deeply committed to her work. Marriage existed alongside her ambitions, not above them.

Relationships often mistaken for marriage

Angelou also had significant partnerships that were not legal marriages but are sometimes labeled as such. One of the most notable was her relationship with South African freedom fighter Vusumzi Make in the early 1960s. They lived together and shared a life for a time, but many biographers clarify that they were not formally married.

These relationships are important not because of their labels, but because they reveal how Angelou approached love—as something real and profound, with or without legal definition.

Why Maya Angelou Chose Independence Over Marriage

If there is one consistent theme across Angelou’s romantic history, it is her refusal to lose herself in a relationship. She valued love, companionship, and intimacy, but she valued self-respect and autonomy more.

Her career demanded freedom. She traveled extensively, worked across disciplines, engaged in activism, and constantly evolved as an artist. A traditional marriage structure—especially during much of the 20th century—often required women to sacrifice ambition or mobility. Angelou chose not to.

She once acknowledged that she didn’t always keep strict timelines when discussing her personal life, not because she was evasive, but because she didn’t want her story reduced to romantic milestones. What mattered to her was growth, not chronology.

Common Myths About Maya Angelou’s Husband and Love Life

Over time, several misconceptions have attached themselves to Angelou’s personal history.

One common myth is that she was married many times. In reality, the most reliable accounts point to two legal marriages.

Another misconception is that marriage—or the absence of it—defined her emotional fulfillment. Angelou’s writings make it clear that her sense of purpose came from creation, community, and self-knowledge, not from marital status.

Perhaps the biggest myth is that searching for “Maya Angelou’s husband” will unlock the secret to her life. Her life was far too expansive for that.

How Her Relationships Influenced Her Writing

Angelou’s personal relationships did not become gossip in her work; they became insight. Love, heartbreak, desire, and disappointment appear throughout her poetry and autobiographies, not as confessions, but as universal human experiences.

She wrote about relationships as places of learning—sometimes joyful, sometimes painful, always instructive. Her ability to transform lived experience into art allowed readers to see their own struggles reflected with dignity and compassion.

Marriage, in her writing, is never presented as an endpoint. It is one experience among many that shaped her understanding of herself and the world.

Maya Angelou’s Own Perspective on Marriage and Love

Throughout her later years, Angelou spoke about love with warmth but also realism. She believed deeply in connection, kindness, and honesty, but she rejected the idea that fulfillment requires permanence or possession.

Her reflections suggest that she saw relationships as meaningful chapters, not definitions. Love was something to experience fully, but never at the cost of selfhood.

That philosophy explains why her marriages ended, why she remained open to love, and why she ultimately lived much of her life unmarried—by choice, not by lack.