Edith Windsor rose to fame fighting an unfair tax bill and ended up making history for same-sex couples with a landmark Supreme Court decision.
Windsor married her long-time partner Thea Spyer in Canada in 2007; however, because that marriage was not recognized in the United States, she received a huge tax bill when Spyer passed away, a tax bill heterosexually married people would not receive. In her successful challenge of the tax bill, Windsor changed marriage for millions of same-sex couples in the United States.
No cause of death was given in the statement from her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan; however, it is well-known that she had suffered from heart problems for years.
Windsor worked for IBM in senior positions after earning a master’s degree in math from NYU.
Windsor is survived by Judith Kasen-Windsor, who she married last year. Kasen-Windsor told ABC News, “The world lost a tiny but tough-as-nails fighter for freedom, justice and equality.”
