Gloria Steinem has died at 92, her foundation announced on Sept. 3. The feminist leader “passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her,” reads a statement. “Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end.”
Celebrity supporters reacted to Steinem’s death with meaningful tributes.
Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle called Steinem her “friend and mentor” in a moving statement. After recalling some of their public work together, the Duchess of Sussex said Steinem was “even better than you would imagine” in their private friendship — from spending Thanksgiving together to “loving our children with her whole heart, counseling me during hard times, and giving extraordinary advice and perspective with a cup of tea and an unrivaled cheekiness and wit.”
Hilary Clinton
Hilary Clinton remembered growing up with Steinem’s influence, and how it inspired women of all disciplines. “She wasn’t going to be an astronaut, but my goodness, she made it possible for Sally Ride to be an astronaut,” wrote the former secretary of state. “She wasn’t going to play college sports, but she stood behind the women in Congress who passed Title IX and opened up opportunities in sports and academics for girls. And she wasn’t on the Supreme Court when Roe v. Wade was decided, but her voice and her activism was behind that advancement for women’s rights.”
Clinton urged her followers to follow Steinem’s lead and “embody possibility,” even in the face of setbacks to women’s equality. “Gloria Steinem was, at heart, an optimist,” she wrote. “Her activism was rooted in optimism, and that’s a moral choice she made every day.”
Joe & Jill Biden
Former President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, paid tribute to Steinem in a shared statement.
“Gloria Steinem understood that women’s equality begins with the freedom to make decisions about our own bodies, health, and futures,” they wrote. “For decades, she fought to make that freedom real for generations of women and girls. She spoke up when it was difficult, listened to those whose voices too often went unheard, and never stopped pushing our country forward.”
The Bidens “are holding Gloria’s loved ones in our hearts today” — adding that her voice and courage “will continue to inspire us to keep fighting for the freedoms she spent her life defending.”
Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham shared a series of photos with Steinem throughout the years, writing: “It will never cease to amaze me that I had the chance to know you.”
In addition to honoring Steinem’s legacy as an activist, the Girls creator highlighted some of her personal memories with the changemaker. “You weren’t just generous with your life force, your vision or your intellect: you were generous with your time, your laughter and even your jewelry,” she wrote — noting the time she let Dunham wear her silver vulva ring. (Later in her heartfelt tribute, Dunham also noted a bracelet Steinem gifted her with her motto: “linked not ranked.”)
Dunham remembered being among a group of women to visit Steinem at her home just months ago — writing that the host “doled out jokes with ease.” Saying goodbye to Steinem after the festivities had wrapped, “you retreated to your bedroom, and when I peaked through the door to wave goodbye you ushered me in. You said you were going to enjoy your favorite indulgence, watching Call The Midwife,” Dunham said. “Because even when you wanted to chill, you turned on a show about a a group of women whose vocation is to help other women to survive.”
More to come…
