Gloria Steinem, a pioneering women’s rights activist, died Wednesday at age 92.

The nationally recognized feminist journalist “passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her,” stated a post shared on her Instagram account on Thursday.

“Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end,” the post continued. “Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard. Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves. Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humor.”

Steinem, a leader of second-wave feminism, co-founded the feminist Ms. magazine in the early 1970s. She helped create the Women’s Media Center, which its website says is designed to raise the “visibility, viability and decision-making power of women and girls in media,” alongside Jane Fonda and writer Robin Morgan in 2005.

She was the author of several books, including the 1992 bestseller “Revolution From Within,” a guide to building self-esteem for women amid systemic injustice. Her forthcoming memoir, “An Unexpected Life,” is set for release on Sept. 22.

“She spent her recent years doing the two things she loved most: being in community with others and writing,” the Instagram post announcing her death stated, adding: “As Gloria wrote in her forthcoming book, An Unexpected Life, ‘I have now lived for more than fifty years in this brownstone, in rooms that have witnessed lives before mine, and will know others after I am gone.’”

Steinem was born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio, to her father, Leo, an antique dealer, and her mother, Ruth, a journalist and homemaker, according to a biography provided by Gloria’s Foundation, a nonprofit focused on preserving Steinem’s New York City apartment and archives.

She attended Smith College, a private women’s college in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she majored in government. After graduating in 1965, she traveled to India for a fellowship, which helped inspire her activism and deepened her dedication to the feminist movement, according to her biography.

“Eternally an optimist and determined to make the world a better place, Gloria was the fiercest advocate anyone could ask for,” Amy Richards, Gloria’s closest confidant, said in a statement. “She was a most loyal friend, remembering birthdays and sleuthing out the most spot-on gifts, not because she had to, but because she genuinely delighted in making other people happy.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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