Marcia Ann Gillespie: key obituary facts
Is Marcia Ann Gillespie dead? Yes. Marcia Ann Gillespie died on October 31, 2026, at age 82.
Cause of death: Marcia Ann Gillespie's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Marcia Ann Gillespie known for?
She was an American activist.
More about Marcia Ann Gillespie
Born: 10 July 1944.
Place of birth: Rockville Centre.
Gender: female.
Occupation: writer, professor, editor, activist, consultant, management consultant, magazine editor, journalist.
Nationality: United States.
Education: Lake Forest College.
Occupations: Editor, writer, professor, activist.
Known for: Editor-in-chief of Essence and Ms. magazines.
Marcia Ann Gillespie, the magazine editor and activist who led Essence and Ms., died October 31, 2026, aged 82.
An African-American writer, professor and consultant, she was an advocate for racial and gender justice. Born in Rockville Centre, New York, Gillespie attended Lake Forest College and later moved to New York City, where she worked as a researcher for Time-Life Books.
She grew up on Long Island in a working-class family. Her father, Charles M. Gillespie, was a church sexton who also ran a floor-waxing business; her mother, Ethel Young Gillespie, worked as a domestic worker and operated a catering business. In 1970, Gillespie joined the newly founded Essence as managing editor and became its editor-in-chief the following year, at age 82. During her leadership, the magazine became one of the fastest-growing women’s publications in the United States. She later served as editor-in-chief of Ms. magazine. Her work included co-authoring the authorized biography Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration and developing her memoir, When Blacks Became Americans. Gillespie also worked as a media and management consultant and taught media and communications as a visiting professor at SUNY Old Westbury College.