It's almost as if August Wilson's mission in life was to craft his grand 10-play Pittsburgh Cycle. The last play, "Radio Golf," premiered at Yale Repertory Theater in March; Mr. Wilson was diagnosed with liver cancer in May, and he succumbed Sunday morning.

The 10 plays, of which all but one were set in the Hill District, painted the struggles and stories of the African-American experience through the 10 decades of the 20th century. Their power and eloquence revitalized black theater in America, and they will ensure Mr. Wilson's place in the pantheon of great American playwrights.

He packed a great deal into his 60 years. He was born into a poor Hill District family, one of six children, and his German baker father was rarely around. He was raised by his mother, who had a hard time feeding her brood but kept the family strong and close-knit. She instilled in young August an ethic of hard work and a love of reading. When he dropped out of high school, he continued and expanded his education at the Carnegie Library. The fatherless youth found mentors among the older men in his neighborhood. He wrote poetry.

His first encounters with theater weren't auspicious either, but his talented circle of friends inspired him to create drama that grew from the African-American urban culture that had formed him. Moving away from Pittsburgh helped coalesce his thoughts and emotions about it, and he wrote about the city of his memory, in dialogue that mingled poetry with street language. He wrote about rage, families, tragedy and love. Even after his plays had hit Broadway, he returned to Pittsburgh to visit, speak and work. He won a Tony, two Pulitzers and a flock of critics awards; the dropout was showered with honorary doctorates, fellowships and other honors.

Mr. Wilson confessed to a love-hate relationship with Pittsburgh, a racially divided city that had slapped and snarled at him but also filled him with determination and a treasury of memories that wove the fabric of his greatest works.

His story could have been yet another urban tragedy beginning with a poor mother and lack of formal education, but August Wilson was armed with an appetite for creative labor and a thirst for knowledge -- as well as "a napkin and a pencil." He turned them into a world on the stage, a world where Mr. Wilson will live on in his characters and his Pittsburgh.