Musicians pay tribute to Steinem, remembering the doors she helped open for generations of women.
There are some people whose work becomes so embedded in culture that you forget there was ever a time without it.
Gloria Steinem was one of those people.
The writer, organiser and feminist icon died on September 2, 2026, aged 92, after more than six decades spent asking uncomfortable questions about who gets power, who gets heard, and who gets to decide what women can do with their own lives.
In the days since her death, musicians have been remembering her not simply as a historical figure, but as someone who helped make more room for women to take up space.
Madonna shared a photograph of herself with Steinem, calling her “the O.G. Baddie” and thanking her for fighting battles that “opened so many doors for me. For us.”
It’s a fitting tribute from an artist whose career has spent decades poking at boundaries around sexuality, femininity, ageing and power.
Carole King looked at Steinem’s legacy through generations.
“As we elders, our daughters, and our granddaughters continue the fight for power, equality, and respect, we hold you in our hearts with love and gratitude,” she wrote.
Patti Smith described Steinem’s “revolutionary spirit” and “a lifetime of service”, while Bette Midler, Jennifer Lopez, Olivia Rodrigo and songwriter Diane Warren also shared tributes.
But perhaps the most interesting thing about the reaction isn’t how many famous people knew Steinem.
It’s how many musicians were shaped by a world she helped make possible.
Although Steinem wasn’t a musician, her work existed in the space around music: the rallies, magazines, organisations and conversations that gave women more room to decide what their lives and careers could look like.
That connection became particularly visible in the riot grrrl era.
L7 performed at a 1995 benefit concert organised by Steinem for Voters for Choice, alongside Pearl Jam, Neil Young with Crazy Horse and Lisa Germano. After her death, L7 shared a photograph from the event, writing: “Rest In Power Ms. Gloria Steinem. We THANK YOU.”
Kathleen Hanna has also spoken about meeting Steinem at a feminist rally as a child, years before becoming one of riot grrrl’s defining voices.
That doesn’t mean Steinem created riot grrrl. She didn’t. But there is something satisfying about seeing those worlds overlap: a woman who spent her life challenging power eventually echoed by musicians doing much the same thing through distortion pedals, zines and very loud guitars.
And maybe that’s the lasting part of Steinem’s legacy.
She spent her life pushing open doors.
Some of the people walking through them now are musicians.
