Marcy Borders, the Dust Lady from that iconic September 11, 2001, photo, has died of cancer at the age of 42.
As with many people who were in lower Manhattan that day, Marcy Borders was caught in the worst terrorist attack on the U.S. mainland. One of the many photographers who were snapping images that will forever live in our collective memories spotted her, and she became the Dust Lady.
Covered in the ash of what used to be the south tower of the World Trade Center, Marcy Borders was almost unrecognizable in her elegant suit, which she wore to work that day. The only part of her body that did not have a thick layer of ash was the Dust Lady's eyes. She seemed to be in shock as she stared at the photographer.
According to the New York Daily News, Marcy Borders' family announced the 42-year-old survivor died of stomach cancer.
"I can't believe my sister is gone," the Dust Lady's brother Michael Borders posted on Facebook after his sister's death Monday.