If you don’t know Marjane Satrapi, you are missing out on one of the key pieces to understanding 21st-century culture. The author of Chicken with Plums and Persepolis, one of the most well-known, famous, and respected Iranian authors in history, has passed away at the age of 56, leaving behind only a statement that adds even more magic to her legacy.
Farewell, Marjane
On her Instagram account, we can only find one thing: a collage she dedicated to her husband, Mattias Ripa, shortly after the day of his death, in which it reads “For I lost the love of my life, Mattias”. Ripa passed away on April 8, 2025, and the statement regarding the death of the comic book author, screenwriter, and director inevitably speaks of him.
“Marjane Satrapi has died of loneliness a year after the death of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life”. French President Emmanuel Macron (where Satrapi lived) dedicated some words to her, stating that “Her passing marks the loss of a key figure in French culture and an artist who loved freedom, whose work carried a universal message and earned her immense international acclaim”. And yes, indeed, it has caught us all by surprise.
Her latest works are from 2024: the movie Dear Paris or the comic Woman Life Freedom. Since then, little has been known about her, and now we know why. Sadly, we can only wish that the earth may be light upon her. Oh.
