- Author and feminist leader bell hooks died at the age of 69.
- She had an undisclosed illness, according to a press statement from her niece.
- She wrote over 40 books in her career focusing on topics such as feminism, racism and culture.
Kentucky-based author and feminist bell hooks has died at age 69.
hooks, whose real name was Gloria Jean Watkins, had an undisclosed illness and was with friends and family when she died on December 15 at her home in Berea, Kentucky, her niece, Ebony Motley, said in a press statement shared with the Lexington Herald Leader.
While hooks' first book, "Ain't I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism" was published in 1981, she went on to publish more than 40 books over the course of her career, with topics focusing on feminism, racism, culture, politics, gender roles, love, and spirituality, according to the Herald Leader.
Starting in 2004, hooks taught at Berea College in Kentucky, and the school later opened the bell hooks Institute at Berea College. Her collection of African-American art, personal items, and her books are all housed at this institute.
As an author, hooks used her great-grandmother's name in all lower case as her pen name, according to the Herald Leader.
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