Marjane Satrapi, the acclaimed French-Iranian graphic novelist and film director, has died at age fifty-six. Best known for her autobiographical graphic novel series *Persepolis* (2000–03), which chronicled her childhood during the Iranian Revolution and subsequent exile, Satrapi also co-directed the film adaptation that won the Jury Prize at Cannes and two César Awards. She published other notable works including *Embroideries* and *Chicken with Plums*, and remained a vocal critic of the Iranian government, editing the protest comic collection *Woman, Life, Freedom* after the death of Mahsa Amini. In 2025, she refused France's Légion d'Honneur, citing French hypocrisy toward Iran. She died of grief, according to close associates, just over a year after the death of her husband, filmmaker Mattias Ripa.
Satrapi's death marks the loss of a singular voice who bridged visual art, literature, and cinema to tell deeply personal stories of political upheaval and diaspora. *Persepolis* became a landmark work that introduced millions of readers worldwide to the human realities of life under the Iranian regime, and its film adaptation expanded her influence into global popular culture. Her refusal of the Légion d'Honneur underscored her lifelong commitment to speaking truth to power, even at the cost of official honors. Her legacy as an artist-activist who used comics and film as tools for political and feminist expression will continue to resonate across the art world and beyond.