French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi died at the age of 56 on June 4, 2026. A statement from members of her close circle attributed the death to “sadness” a little over a year after the passing of her husband, Swedish producer Mattias Ripa, on April 8, 2025. Satrapi was best known for the graphic novel Persepolis, which according to publishing data had sold more than two million copies worldwide as of 2018 and been translated into 24 languages.
Born in Rasht, Iran in 1969, Satrapi moved to France at age 24 and later became a French citizen in 2006, according to her biographical details shared in media profiles. She used her work to criticize the Iranian government following the 1979 revolution, drawing from her own upbringing in a leftist family in Tehran. Satrapi actively backed the Woman, Life, Freedom protests that began in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, curating a related book of graphic stories published in English in 2024.
The animated film adaptation of Persepolis that Satrapi co-directed with Vincent Paronnaud in 2007 won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and secured an Oscar nomination. “Even if this is a universal film, I want to dedicate this prize to all Iranians,” Satrapi said upon receiving the award. French President Emmanuel Macron described her as a great artist who had turned her Iranian childhood into a universal tale.
Tributes poured in from the film world as well. Cannes festival chief Thierry Fremaux told AFP that Satrapi was an extraordinary artist and a charming woman who embodied the joy of creation and the sorrow of exile. The foundation of Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi called Satrapi a fearless voice for feminism, human rights and freedom, adding that her courage will continue to resonate far beyond her lifetime.
Satrapi expanded her creative output beyond Persepolis, directing the 2019 Marie Curie biopic Radioactive and exhibiting her paintings in 2020. She linked her painting to personal well-being, saying in comments at the time, “I think my mental health depends on it.” In 2025 she turned down the Legion of Honour, citing hypocrisy in France’s approach to Iranian dissidents and writing that she could not overlook the country’s policies toward Iran.
Following her husband’s death, Satrapi founded the Mattias and Marjane Ripa-Satrapi Cinema Foundation to help foreign students pursue filmmaking studies in Paris, reports indicated. Her Instagram page after his death featured a series of images that spelled out “For I lost the love of my life.” The foundation and social media activity underscored the profound effect Ripa’s passing had on her final year.
