Gloria Steinem, journalist, activist and Ms. Magazine co-founder, died at 92 in New York City.
Why it matters: Steinem was one of the most visible public faces of second-wave feminism and helped shape U.S. media and politics. Her death is likely to prompt renewed attention on reproductive rights, feminist organizing and the institutions she helped build.
- Steinem died Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, at her home in New York City, according to statements from her foundation and family accounts reported by AP.
- She co-founded Ms. Magazine in 1972.
- She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2013.
- AP said a 1963 undercover story on Playboy Bunnies and a 1969 abortion-rights hearing were key turning points in her career.
Gloria Steinem, the journalist, writer and activist who became one of the defining public faces of second-wave feminism in the United States, has died at 92, according to statements from her foundation and family accounts reported by AP.
Her foundation said she "passed away peacefully" at her home in New York City, "surrounded by many who loved her." Steinem's work in journalism helped propel her into public activism, including a 1963 undercover story on Playboy Bunnies and her reporting around a 1969 abortion-rights hearing, AP reported.
She co-founded Ms. Magazine in 1972, helping establish one of the best-known feminist publications in the U.S. The magazine's site says it was later purchased by the Feminist Majority Foundation in 2001.
Steinem also played a role in organizations including the National Women's Political Caucus, the Women's Media Center, the Ms. Foundation for Women and Take Our Daughters to Work Day.
She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2013.
Yes, but: The available reporting here is limited to AP and the sources cited in the brief, so this is a compact obituary rather than a full career retrospective.