Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has paid tribute to her “friend and mentor” Gloria Steinem following the feminist activist’s death.
Gloria Steinem has died
The women’s liberation leader “passed away peacefully” at her New York home on Wednesday (02.09.26) at the age of 92, and the former Suits actress is among those to have celebrated her legacy and impact, both around the world and on their own lives.
Meghan – who has two children with husband Prince Harry – wrote on Instagram: “Celebrating the life and legacy of my friend and mentor, Gloria Steinem, and also grateful to know that in these last few weeks and days she knew exactly how loved and admired she was.
“You all know her many accolades and the way in which she helped shape the world for women and all people – ‘we are linked, not ranked’ she would tell me, and the bracelet she gave me said exactly that. I still wear it with pride.
“Publicly, we did interviews together, called young voters to encourage them to have their voices heard, attended award ceremonies, and brainstormed how to help this beautiful yet complicated world to become more equitable.
“But privately, she was even better than you would imagine – spending Thanksgiving with our family, introducing me to one of my best friends (forever the champion of female friendship), 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.(sic)”
Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton was left “heartsick” by the news.
She told CBS Mornings: “I’m heartsick, as I think everyone who not only knew her but followed her, was inspired and challenged by her.
“Gloria was at heart an optimist. Her activism was rooted in optimism, and that’s a moral choice. And she made it every day.
“She was one of the architects of the entire structure of women’s equality. Tearing down those obstacles to young women being able to participate where their talents and hard work took them.
“I saw in my own life over the course of about 10 to 15 years, Gloria’s pushing on those doors to finally get them open, not only for her to walk through, but for her to lead literally millions of others.”
Singer Patti Smith celebrated Gloria’s “lifetime of service”.
She said: “This is the greatest Gloria. All are grateful for her revolutionary spirit; a lifetime of service.”
Julianne Moore described the time she spent studying the Ms. magazine founder in order to portray her in the 2020 biopic The Glorias as “one of the most edifying of my life”.
She added: “Everything I watched, everything I read, everything I observed about her gave me a template for how I wanted to behave.
“Her honesty, her tolerance, her patience, and her insistence on humanism and inclusion as she moved through the world offers us all a moral roadmap.
“Thank you for all you gave us, Gloria. We were so lucky.”
Practical Magic 2 actress Sandra Bullock shared a black and white photograph of Gloria on her Instagram Story.
It was captioned: “With her bare hands and force of will, she paved the roads that millions of us are able to walk on.”
Gloria’s death was announced in a statement shared on Instagram.
It read in part: “Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end.
“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 humour.”
Gloria was born in Ohio and began her career as a freelance journalist in New York City, rising to prominence in 1963 when she went undercover as a Playboy Bunny in an exposé for Show magazine.
As a columnist for New York magazine, she reported on political campaigns and social issues, including the women’s liberation movement. A pivotal moment in her own advocacy came at an awareness rally in 1969, when she spoke of her own experiences of having an abortion at the age of 22. Gloria quickly became the face of the women’s liberation movement and a key figure in second-wave feminism thanks to her advocacy for reproductive rights, among many other issues.
Along with Brenda Feigen and Dorothy Pitman-Hughes, she founded the Women’s Action Alliance in 1971 to help fight sex discrimination, and the following year, she helped establish Ms. magazine, the first publication of its kind, run and written by women.
Gloria had an influential part in the movement to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in 1972, which prohibited sex discrimination.
In 2013, she was awarded America’s highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by then-US leader Barack Obama.
