Marjane Satrapi, a French-Iranian artist, author, women’s rights activist, and illustrator of the graphic novel memoir Persepolis, has died at the age of 56.
A statement from the Elysée Palace announcing her death on Thursday praised Ms. Satrapi’s work as having “captivated audiences around the world.”
The Elysée Palace said: “Her death marks the death of a leading figure in French culture and an artist deeply committed to freedom. Her works conveyed a universal message and received tremendous international acclaim.”
Ms. Satrapi was born in Rasht, Iran, on November 22, 1969, and is best known for her 2000 best-selling graphic novel memoir chronicling her childhood in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution.
“Persepolis” was made into a film in 2007 by Satrapi and director Vincent Paronnaud, which won the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Satrapi was an outspoken critic of Iran’s ruling regime and a prominent supporter of the Women, Life, Freedom movement, which emerged after the death of 22-year-old Martha Amini in police custody in 2022.
The Narges Foundation, an Iranian women’s rights group, said Satrapi was a “fearless champion of feminism and women’s rights” and someone who “championed the struggle and resilience of Iranian women.”
CNN’s Saskya Vandoorne and Vasco Cotovio contributed to this report.
