Cecile Richards, a women’s rights crusader who served as president of Planned Parenthood as the nation approached a critical inflection point over reproductive freedom, has died, her family said Monday in a statement.

The news of her death was discouraging to the point of despair. And yet, upon further reflection, I realized quickly that Cecile’s life should guide us.

"Our hearts are broken today but no words can do justice to the joy she brought to our lives," her family said in a post on social media.

Two months before her death, Richards was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then-President Joe Biden.

Cecile Richards, the organizer and activist who transformed Planned Parenthood into a political powerhouse, died on Monday at age 67. A year ago, Richards announced that she had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer.

Cecile Richards died Monday after battling an aggressive form of brain cancer, her family said in a statement.

Women's rights activist and former Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, 67, died at her home surrounded by family and her dog Ollie on Monday morning, her family announced.

A former Planned Parenthood president and staunch women's rights advocate Cecile Richards has died at the age of 67.

Cecile Richards devoted her life to political activism in the fight for equal rights, most notably the rights of women to reproductive health.

Cecile Richards passed away from glioblastoma at 67. Discover her inspiring journey as an activist and her legacy of advocating for women's rights.

Richards was a major force in Texas and national politics. Like her mother, former governor Ann Richards, Cecile spent most of her life rallying for progressive causes. Richards was a labor organizer, a staffer to Representative Nancy Pelosi, and then president of Planned Parenthood from 2006 to 2018.