Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Marjane Satrapi, the French-Iranian artist, filmmaker, and graphic novelist whose work has shaped global perceptions of Iran, has died at the age of 56.
Satrapi, best known for her autobiographical graphic novel, "Persepolis," died on June 4, 2026, in Paris, France.
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Her sudden passing was reported by relatives and close friends to the French news agency AFP as "death of grief."
This grief was closely linked to the death of her husband, Mattias Ripa, a Swedish producer, actor, and screenwriter, who died on April 8, 2025, at the age of 53.
After losing her soulmate, Satrapi posted a series of messages on her Instagram account that read, "Because I lost the love of my life."
In tribute and to continue their passion, Satrapi also founded the Mattias and Marjane Ripa-Satrapi Cinema Foundation.
Marjane Satrapi, an artist and author who wrote "Persepolis" that chronicled her childhood in Tehran under the Islamic Revolution, dies at 56. https://t.co/75NJoS1WbQ pic.twitter.com/AZVmDhyZ0v
— CNN (@CNN) June 4, 2026
A Universal Story from Iran: 'Persepolis'
Born on November 22, 1969, in Rasht, Iran, Marjane Satrapi grew up in Tehran in a politically active upper-middle-class family.
Her parents were supporters of the leftist movement that opposed the last Shah's monarchy.
Her maternal great-grandfather, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, even served as Shah of Iran from 1848 to 1896.
Satrapi's life changed drastically after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, where she witnessed the brutality of the Islamic fundamentalist regime.
Many of her family members and friends were persecuted, arrested, and even killed.
At the age of 14, in 1983, her parents sent her to Vienna, Austria, to protect her from the strict restrictions imposed.
After returning to Tehran at the age of 19 and studying art, she eventually settled in Paris in the mid-1990s and became a French citizen in 2006.
Satrapi's monumental work, her autobiographical graphic novel "Persepolis," was first published in 2000.
The novel chronicles her childhood in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, and her struggles with restrictions under Iran's Islamist leadership.
"Persepolis" sold millions of copies, was translated into dozens of languages, and significantly shaped international understanding of Iran.
In 2007, she co-directed the animated film adaptation of "Persepolis" with Vincent Paronnaud, which won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
A Loud Voice for Freedom
Beyond "Persepolis," Satrapi continued to explore the boundaries between graphic novels and other art forms through works such as "Embroideries" and "Chicken with Plums."
She has also directed several films, including "Radioactive," a biopic about Marie Curie.
Satrapi is known as a vocal critic of Iran's theocratic government.
She voiced her support for the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protest movement that emerged after the death of Jina Mahsa Amini in 2022.
In 2023, she coordinated the graphic anthology "Femme, vie, liberté" (published in English as "Woman, Life, Freedom" in 2024), which documented the uprising and its cultural context.
Declining Legion of Honour
In January 2025, Satrapi declined the Legion of Honour, France's highest honor, citing France's "hypocrisy" towards the Iranian people.
She cited France's visa policy, which prevents dissidents from leaving Iran.
In 2024, Satrapi won the Princess of Asturias Foundation award in Spain for communication and humanities, where she was described as "a crucial voice in the defense of human rights and freedoms" and "a symbol of women-led civic engagement."
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute, declaring Satrapi "a great artist who transformed an Iranian childhood into a universal fable".
Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the French National Assembly, via Twitter (formerly X) said that Satrapi had made her work "an act of freedom" and given "a face and a voice to the Iranian revolution," proudly carrying on the struggle for women's freedom and dignity.
The French Academy of Fine Arts, of which Satrapi was a member, expressed deep sorrow and praised Satrapi as "a passionate advocate for cinema and film education."