Angelena Rice (née Ray) was Condoleezza Rice's mother — a high school teacher of science, music, and oratory in Birmingham, Alabama. She named her only child 'Condoleezza' after the Italian musical term 'con dolcezza' meaning 'with sweetness.' Angelena came from a musical family (her mother and grandmother were both pianists) and started Condoleezza on piano lessons at age three, along with French, figure skating, and ballet. She was instrumental in cultivating the intellectual and artistic foundation that would define her daughter's life. Angelena died of breast cancer in 1985 at age 61.