bell hooks, the acclaimed and groundbreaking feminist author and activist, has passed on Wednesday aged 69.⁠

The author was surrounded by her close friends and family at home when she died from an illness, a press release from her niece, Ebony Motley, stated.⁠
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The American author, professor and social activist whose writings and teachings on race, class, gender, capitalism and a host of other topics helped define intersectional feminist theory and shaped generations of thinkers and readers alike across the world. hooks was born Gloria Jean Watkins on Sept. 25, 1952, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, published over 40 books over the course of her life, including the 1978 poetry collection « And There We Wept » and the 1981 study « Ain’t I A Woman: Black Women and Feminism », « All About Love », « Reel to Real », « Where We Stand: Class Matters ». Her pen name was in dedication to her great-grandmother Bell Blair Hooks.⁠