Author and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi dies at 56

French-Iranian author and artist Marjane Satrapi passed away in Paris at the age of 56, with news of her death announced on June 4, 2026. Her family stated that she died of grief, just over a year after the death of her husband, Swedish producer, actor, and screenwriter Mattias Ripa, who died on April 8, 2025. Born in Rasht, Iran, on November 22, 1969, she grew up in Tehran during the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the subsequent rise of the Islamic Republic. Satrapi achieved global recognition for her autobiographical graphic novel 'Persepolis', which details her upbringing under the country's clerical regime. She co-directed the animated film adaptation of 'Persepolis' with Vincent Paronnaud, which premiered at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, winning the Jury Prize. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and served as the French entry for Best International Feature Film. Throughout her life, she remained a vocal critic of the Iranian theocratic government.