Marjane Satrapi, the French-Iranian author, illustrator, and filmmaker best known for Persepolis, died in Paris on June 4, 2026, at the age of 56.
Following her death, relatives told French news agency AFP that Satrapi had struggled deeply after losing her husband, Swedish producer Mattias Ripa, in 2025. The pair had spent more than three decades together, sharing a long relationship built on mutual respect while maintaining their own independence.
Tributes quickly poured in from across France. In a statement, the French presidency described Satrapi as “a great artist who transformed an Iranian childhood into a universal fable” and praised her commitment to freedom and artistic expression.
As the world remembers Satrapi’s remarkable body of work, many are also looking back at the private life the multifaceted star shared with Mattias Ripa and the bond that lasted for 31 years.
Marjane and Mattias Were Married for Decades
The late couple first came across in Paris during the mid-1990s. At the time, Satrapi was rebuilding her life in Europe after leaving Iran, while Ripa was beginning his own creative career.
Although they eventually married, the couple kept most details of their wedding and private life away from public attention. They made their home in Paris’ historic Marais district, where they built a life centered on art, film, and writing.
Satrapi and Ripa never had children. Instead, they devoted themselves to their relationship and the work that connected them. Over the years, Ripa became one of the people Satrapi trusted most. He was closely involved in her creative projects and even helped translate Persepolis into English.
Outside of his work with Satrapi, Ripa established himself as a producer, actor, and screenwriter. His credits included projects such as La bande des Jotas in 2012 and Dear Paris in 2024.
Their partnership came to a sudden end on April 8, 2025, when Ripa died at the age of 53. The loss weighed heavily on Satrapi. In the months that followed, the director shared a series of quiet Instagram posts that together formed the message, “For I lost the love of my life.”
Just over a year later, Satrapi died in Paris on June 4, 2026, at age 56. Following her death, relatives told AFP that She had “died of sadness” after losing the man.
She Was Married Before
Before her marriage to Mattias Ripa, Marjane Satrapi was married to a man named Reza during her early adulthood in Iran.
The two met at an underground gathering in Tehran after Satrapi returned from her teenage years in Austria. Reza was an art student who had also served during the Iran-Iraq War. Their relationship developed during a period when strict social rules made it difficult for unmarried couples to spend time together openly.
In 1991, they decided to marry. The decision was influenced in part by the realities of life in post-revolution Iran, where unmarried couples often faced scrutiny and practical obstacles, including difficulties renting an apartment.
The marriage, however, did not last long. Her father encouraged her to choose happiness over obligation, telling her that “life is too short to be lived badly.” After about three years together, the couple divorced in 1994.
