Writer and career leftist feminist activist Gloria Steinem died Wednesday. She was 92.
The death of the co-founder of Ms. Magazine and leader of the Women’s Action Alliance was confirmed through her foundation’s social media pages.
In a post on Instagram, it said she “passed away peacefully” at her home in New York City, “surrounded by many who loved her.”
“Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard,” the post said, per AP.
“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,” the tribute continued.
Steinem’s career as a journalist first came to light publicly when she wrote about Hugh Hefner’s Playboy empire, an undercover assignment she came to later regret, according to the AP report.
Gloria Steinem poses wearing playboy bunny costume. (Getty)
The story was made into a 1985 TV movie starring Kirstie Alley.
In 1968, Steinem helped found New York magazine, where her essay titled “After Black Power, Women’s Liberation” established her as a feminist leader at a time of roiling social change while keeping her name in full public view.
The constant visibility that followed delivered its own price; even into her older years, Steinem expressed frustration that despite her accomplishments, she was often described as beautiful or glamorous (A 1992 Vanity Fair profile even noted her “spectacular racehorse legs.”)
It was a label the Toledo, Ohio-born activist said unfairly detracted from her message, AP noted.
She married South African businessman and environmentalist David Bale, the father of actor Christian Bale, at 66.
Steinem often explained her singlehood until then by saying, “I can’t mate in captivity.” Laughter, she wrote, was “the only free emotion — the only one that can’t be compelled.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report