Acclaimed writer and feminist bell hooks dead at 69

Celebrated author, professor, critic, and feminist bell hooks died Wednesday at her home in Kentucky, the Lexington Herald-Leader confirms. She was 69.

According to a press release from her niece Ebony Motley, hooks had been ill, and died surrounded by friends and family.

Born Gloria Jean Watkins, hooks adopted her great-grandmother's name as her pen name, stylizing it in lowercase letters to emphasize the "substance of the books, not who I am," she said.

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She leaves behind a storied career and a dedicated fanbase, having released over 40 books on topics like "race, gender, and class — and the connection between all three," reports The Independent.