Gloria Steinem, the journalist and activist who led America's feminist movement for six decades, died peacefully at her New York City home on Wednesday, her foundation confirmed Thursday, aged 92.
TL;DR
- Steinem co-founded Ms. magazine in 1972 and became the public face of second-wave feminism.
- She died at her Manhattan home on Wednesday, September 2, 2026; no cause of death has been disclosed.
- Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.
- Her stepson is Welsh-born actor Christian Bale, from her marriage to entrepreneur David Bale.
How the news broke
Gloria Steinem, the American journalist and activist, died on Wednesday at her home in New York City, according to a statement from her foundation reported by CNN. Steinem passed away "surrounded by some of the many who loved her," the foundation said.
The news was confirmed publicly on Thursday morning. Her near-century on Earth was "well-lived," according to the statement carried by HuffPost UK.
No cause of death has been shared. Steinem had previously spoken about surviving breast cancer in her 50s, according to NBC News.
From Toledo to Ms. magazine
Steinem was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1934 and studied government at Smith College. She moved to New York in 1960 and broke into journalism at a time when editors doubted women could report hard news, according to NPR.
She co-founded Ms. magazine in 1972, giving the women's movement its first mainstream media platform. She went on to help launch the Women's Media Center and the National Women's Political Caucus.
Former president Barack Obama awarded Steinem the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013, honouring six decades of civil rights work, according to Forbes.
Tributes for a movement's figurehead
Steinem's foundation said her greatest strength was her ability to make people feel truly heard, according to Time. She reportedly hosted hundreds of guests at her Manhattan brownstone for what she called Talking Circles, a tradition her foundation said would continue in her memory.
A celebration of her life is expected to be held in New York later this year, according to Forbes.
Her UK link: stepson Christian Bale
Steinem married entrepreneur David Bale in 2000, at age 66, after decades of publicly questioning marriage as an institution. He died of lymphoma three years later, according to CNN.
That marriage made her stepmother to Christian Bale, the Oscar-winning actor born in Haverfordwest, Wales, according to Wikipedia. Bale holds British citizenship and remains one of the UK's most prominent leading men. Her story also reached UK screens. Oscar winner Julianne Moore played the elder Steinem in "The Glorias," a 2020 biopic based on her memoir, "My Life on the Road."
Quick facts
92 Age at which Steinem died. Source: CNN
2013 Year she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Source: Forbes
$30,940 US box office total for "The Glorias" (2020), the biopic based on her memoir. Source: Wikipedia
