Renowned dancer and choreographer Judith Jamison died Saturday after a brief illness, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater announced. She was 81.

Judith Jamison, a graceful, long-limbed dancer who rose to international stardom in the 1970s, succeeded Alvin Ailey as the leader of his namesake troupe and helped sustain the company as a barrier-breaking force in modern dance,

"She created representation, she made a path wide enough for other people to walk through too and be able to see themselves," Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Rehearsal Director Ronni Favors said.