Gloria Steinem never gave up the good fight. Despite publishing a dozen books and dedicating decades of her life to feminist advocacy, by the time she reached the age of 92, the trailblazing feminist icon still feared leaving earth mid-battle.
“I don’t want to die saying but— ” Steinem told Vanity Fair over Zoom from her Manhattan home earlier this year in a conversation about her final memoir, An Unexpected Life, scheduled for release on September 22. “We have the idea that our lives are planned in order to be worthwhile.
And that may be true in some cases,” Steinem said. “But I think our ability to respond to and learn from the unexpected is really much more likely to be helpful.”
Steinem’s death was announced in a social media post on Thursday. “Yesterday, Gloria Steinem passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her.
Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end,” it read. “Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard.
Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves. Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humor.”
Gloria Steinem in her New York City apartment, November 2, 1990.