The Most Notable Lesbian Celebs Who Passed Away (With Cause Of Death)

From barrier-breaking activists to beloved artists and authors, these women left a deep mark on culture and community. Here is a concise look at notable lesbian figures who have passed away, with clear details on their lives, legacies, and causes of death.

Audre Lorde

An acclaimed poet and feminist, Audre Lorde called herself a Black lesbian mother warrior poet and used her work to confront racism, sexism, and homophobia. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1978 and later faced metastatic disease. Lorde died on November 17, 1992 in St. Croix. The cause of death was cancer.

Barbara Gittings

Barbara Gittings was a pioneering LGBTQ rights activist who led the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis and fought to remove homosexuality from the American Psychiatric Association’s list of mental disorders. She organized early pickets for federal employment rights and championed LGBTQ visibility in libraries. Gittings died on February 18, 2007 in Pennsylvania. The cause of death was breast cancer.

Stormé DeLarverie

Entertainer and community protector Stormé DeLarverie is widely remembered for her role in sparking action during the Stonewall uprising and for safeguarding LGBTQ spaces in New York. She performed as a celebrated MC and later patrolled the West Village to keep people safe. DeLarverie died on May 24, 2014 in Brooklyn. The cause of death was a heart attack.

Pat Parker

Pat Parker was a Black lesbian poet and activist whose books and readings energized feminist and LGBTQ circles in the 1970s and 1980s. Her work addressed racism, sexism, and domestic violence with direct, memorable language. Parker died on June 19, 1989 in Oakland. The cause of death was breast cancer.

Sally Ride

Physicist Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983 and later co-founded Sally Ride Science to support STEM education. Her obituary publicly acknowledged her 27-year relationship with Tam O’Shaughnessy, making her the first known LGBTQ astronaut in U.S. history. Ride died on July 23, 2012 in California. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer.

Chavela Vargas

Costa Rican-born and Mexico-based singer Chavela Vargas was an iconic ranchera interpreter who lived openly as a lesbian later in life and influenced generations of musicians and filmmakers. She returned to the stage in her seventies and performed internationally to great acclaim. Vargas died on August 5, 2012 in Cuernavaca. The cause of death was heart failure following respiratory complications.

Leslie Feinberg

Author of ‘Stone Butch Blues’ and a leading trans and lesbian activist, Leslie Feinberg advocated for working-class solidarity and healthcare access while writing influential essays on gender variance. Feinberg’s organizing spanned labor, AIDS activism, and LGBTQ rights. Feinberg died on November 15, 2014 in Syracuse. The cause of death was complications from multiple tick-borne infections including Lyme disease.

Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith was a major twentieth-century novelist known for psychological thrillers and for the lesbian classic ‘The Price of Salt’ published under a pseudonym in 1952. She spent much of her life in Europe and left a significant literary archive. Highsmith died on February 4, 1995 in Switzerland. The causes of death were aplastic anemia and lung cancer.

Gloria Anzaldúa

Chicana scholar and writer Gloria Anzaldúa co-edited ‘This Bridge Called My Back’ and authored ‘Borderlands/La Frontera,’ foundational texts for queer and feminist theory. Her work explored language, identity, and borderlands as lived experience. Anzaldúa died on May 15, 2004 in Santa Cruz. The cause of death was complications of diabetes.

Barbara Hammer

Experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer created landmark lesbian cinema and later became an advocate for end-of-life autonomy during her illness. Her films are preserved by major institutions and continue to screen worldwide. Hammer died on March 16, 2019 in New York City. The cause of death was ovarian cancer.

Jill Johnston

Cultural critic Jill Johnston wrote ‘Lesbian Nation’ and chronicled dance and avant-garde art for the Village Voice while championing lesbian feminist ideas. She remained an influential voice in debates about sexuality and culture for decades. Johnston died on September 18, 2010 in Connecticut. The cause of death was complications from a stroke.

Jeanne Córdova

Journalist and activist Jeanne Córdova founded ‘The Lesbian Tide’ and helped organize West Coast lesbian feminist movements from the 1970s onward. She supported global LGBTQ initiatives through philanthropy and public advocacy. Córdova died on January 10, 2016 in Los Angeles. The cause of death was metastatic brain cancer.

Ruth Ellis

Ruth Ellis was a beloved community figure in Detroit whose home served as a gathering space for LGBTQ people for decades, especially Black lesbians and youth. The Ruth Ellis Center continues her legacy by supporting LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness. Ellis died on October 5, 2000 at the age of 101. The cause of death was natural causes in her sleep following heart problems.

Chantal Akerman

Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman shaped modern cinema with formally daring work that influenced generations of directors. She explored themes of routine, isolation, and queer life across features, documentaries, and installations. Akerman died on October 5, 2015 in Paris. The cause of death was suicide.

Radclyffe Hall

British author Radclyffe Hall wrote ‘The Well of Loneliness’ which became a landmark of lesbian literature and the subject of an obscenity trial. She published poetry and novels and lived openly with her partner Una Vincenzo. Hall died on December 7, 1943 in London. The cause of death was colon cancer.

Gertrude Stein

Writer and art patron Gertrude Stein hosted a legendary Paris salon with Alice B. Toklas and supported major modernists. Her works included ‘Tender Buttons’ and an influential autobiography that chronicled her circle. Stein died on July 27, 1946 in Neuilly-sur-Seine. The cause of death was stomach cancer following surgery.

Natalie Clifford Barney

American writer and salonnière Natalie Clifford Barney spent decades in Paris promoting women’s writing and openly celebrating same-sex love. Her Friday salons brought together poets, painters, and thinkers from across Europe and the United States. Barney died on February 2, 1972 in Paris. The cause of death was natural causes at age ninety five.

Renée Vivien

Poet Renée Vivien became known for Symbolist verse and for poems that centered women’s love and desire. She published prolifically in French and lived in Paris and London among literary circles. Vivien died on November 18, 1909 in Paris. The cause of death was complications of pneumonia.

Eva Le Gallienne

Stage star and director Eva Le Gallienne led the Civic Repertory Theatre and helped expand serious repertory work in the United States. She earned accolades for acting, translating, and directing across a long career. Le Gallienne died on June 3, 1991 in Connecticut. The cause of death was natural causes.

Barbara Jordan

Trailblazing congresswoman Barbara Jordan won national recognition for powerful Watergate hearings speeches and later taught public policy. She lived for many years with her partner Nancy Earl while maintaining privacy about her personal life. Jordan died on January 17, 1996 in Texas. The cause of death was pneumonia related to complications from leukemia.

Deborah Batts

Judge Deborah Batts became the first openly lesbian federal judge in the United States when confirmed to the bench in 1994. She presided over significant cases and taught law while mentoring many young attorneys. Batts died on February 3, 2020 in New York City. The cause of death was complications following knee surgery.

Dorothy Arzner

Hollywood director Dorothy Arzner was the only woman to direct studio features continuously in late silent and early sound eras. She worked with stars like Katharine Hepburn and pioneered the use of the boom microphone on sets. Arzner died on October 1, 1979 in California. The cause of death was heart failure.

Mercedes de Acosta

Writer and costume designer Mercedes de Acosta moved in theatrical and Hollywood circles and had relationships with several prominent actresses. She published poetry and a memoir that offered rare glimpses of queer life in earlier decades. De Acosta died on May 9, 1968 in New York City. The cause of death was a brain tumor.

Gladys Bentley

Blues singer Gladys Bentley became famous during the Harlem Renaissance for tuxedoed performances and openly lesbian lyrics. She recorded popular songs and headlined clubs in New York and California. Bentley died on January 18, 1960 in Los Angeles. The cause of death was pneumonia.

Romaine Brooks

Painter Romaine Brooks portrayed women in muted tones and produced striking self portraits that challenged conventional femininity. She spent much of her life in Paris and Italy and had a long relationship with Natalie Clifford Barney. Brooks died on December 7, 1970 in Nice. The cause of death was natural causes.

Ethel Smyth

British composer and suffragette Ethel Smyth wrote operas and choral works and joined militant suffrage actions where her ‘March of the Women’ became an anthem. She received recognition late in life including a damehood for services to music. Smyth died on May 8, 1944 in Woking. The cause of death was pneumonia.

Jane Rule

Novelist and essayist Jane Rule wrote ‘Desert of the Heart’ and advocated for free expression and gay rights in Canada. She supported writers and community organizations through teaching and public commentary. Rule died on November 27, 2007 in British Columbia. The cause of death was liver cancer.

May Sarton

Poet and novelist May Sarton published journals and fiction that examined creativity and intimate relationships between women. She maintained a wide readership through decades of teaching and public readings. Sarton died on July 16, 1995 in Maine. The cause of death was breast cancer.

Valerie Solanas

Writer and radical feminist Valerie Solanas authored the ‘SCUM Manifesto’ and became widely known after shooting Andy Warhol in 1968. She later lived in California and Nevada with intermittent publishing and legal troubles. Solanas died on April 25, 1988 in San Francisco. The cause of death was pneumonia.

Karin Boye

Swedish poet and novelist Karin Boye wrote the dystopian ‘Kallocain’ and lyric poems that remain widely read. She had relationships with women and was active in literary and cultural circles in Sweden. Boye died on April 24, 1941 near Alingsås. The cause of death was suicide by overdose of sleeping pills.

Violette Leduc

French novelist Violette Leduc produced candid autobiographical works that addressed poverty, sexuality, and desire between women. She received support from Simone de Beauvoir and found a wider readership late in life. Leduc died on May 28, 1972 in Faucon. The cause of death was cancer.

Mary Oliver

Pulitzer Prize winning poet Mary Oliver lived for decades with photographer Molly Malone Cook and wrote about nature and attention in clear accessible verse. She appeared regularly in journals and released many best selling collections. Oliver died on January 17, 2019 in Florida. The cause of death was lymphoma.

Share the names and stories you think should be included next, and tell us in the comments who you’d add to this list.