French-Iranian filmmaker and graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi, globally celebrated for “Persepolis” and her outspoken support for Iranian women’s rights, has died at 56, with family saying she passed away “of sadness” after losing her husband.
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French-Iranian author, illustrator, and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi, best known for the internationally acclaimed graphic novel and film “Persepolis,” has died at the age of 56, according to people close to her family.
A statement released Thursday said Satrapi died “of sadness” a little more than a year after the death of her husband and longtime creative partner, Mattias Ripa.
“Marjane Satrapi died of sadness a little over a year after the death of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life,” the statement said.
Born in 1969 in Rasht, Iran, Satrapi moved to France in 1994 and became a French citizen in 2006. She rose to global prominence through “Persepolis,” her autobiographical graphic novel about growing up during the Iranian Revolution and later living in exile in Europe.
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The memoir became an international bestseller and was adapted into a critically acclaimed animated film co-directed by Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud in 2007. The film won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and received an Academy Award nomination.
“Even if this is a universal film, I want to dedicate this prize to all Iranians,” Satrapi said during the Cannes ceremony.
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to her legacy, calling Satrapi “a great artist who turned her Iranian childhood into a universal tale.”
Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux described her as “an extraordinary artist and a charming woman who embodied the joy of creation and the sorrow of exile and painful memories.”
Beyond literature and cinema, Satrapi became a powerful voice for women’s rights and freedom of expression, frequently criticizing Iran’s clerical establishment.
She strongly backed the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests sparked by the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody. In 2024, Satrapi curated a collection of graphic stories inspired by the movement and joined solidarity demonstrations in Paris.
“It’s very important that this regime disappears,” she said at the time, while also urging people to remain hopeful about gradual change.
The foundation of imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi praised Satrapi as “a fearless voice for feminism, human rights, and freedom.”
“Her courage will continue to resonate far beyond her lifetime,” the foundation added.
Satrapi’s creative work extended beyond Iranian themes. In 2019, she directed “Radioactive,” a biographical drama about scientist Marie Curie starring Rosamund Pike.
She was also an accomplished painter and often described art as essential to her emotional survival.
“I think my mental health depends on it,” she once said about painting.
Last year, Satrapi also drew headlines after rejecting France’s highest civilian honor, the Legion d’Honneur, accusing French authorities of hypocrisy over visa policies affecting Iranian dissidents.
Following her husband’s death in April last year, Satrapi established the Mattias and Marjane Ripa-Satrapi Cinema Foundation to support international film students in Paris.
Her social media posts in recent months frequently reflected grief and devotion to her late husband, repeatedly sharing the words: “For I lost the love of my life.”
Satrapi’s death marks the loss of one of the Iranian diaspora’s most influential artistic voices and a globally respected advocate for freedom, feminism and storytelling through graphic art and film.
