Ivana Trump, the first wife of former President Donald Trump, has died at the age of 73.
“I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City,” Donald Trump posted on his platform Truth Social. “She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life. Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. She was so proud of them, as we were so proud of her. Rest in peace, Ivana!”
At 12:30 p.m. Thursday, paramedics responded to a call for cardiac arrest and found a 73-year-old woman in the Upper East Side apartment where Ivana Trump lived, according to ABC News.
A spokesperson for the New York Fire Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Trump family also released a statement, calling Ivana Trump “an incredible woman — a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and caring mother and friend. Ivana Trump was a survivor.”
“She fled from communism and embraced this country,” the family added. “She taught her children about grit and toughness, compassion and determination. She will be dearly missed by her mother, her three children and ten grandchildren.”
Ivana Trump worked as a senior executive for the Trump organization for years, where she was the vice president of interior design and then later CEO and president of the Trump Castle Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City before becoming the manager of the Plaza Hotel in New York.
After Ivana and Donald Trump divorced in 1992, she created a fashion line that included clothing, jewelry, and beauty products that she sold on QVC. In 2006, she hosted a reality TV show, where she helped middle-aged women find a younger man. In 2010, she competed on UK’s Celebrity Big Brother.
Ivana Trump was born in Czechoslovakia before moving to Canada in the 1970s, where she began working as a model. In 1977, she married Donald Trump and the two had three children together, Donald Trump, Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump. Ivana and Donald Trump worked together on many projects, like the Trump Tower, and by the 1980s, the two were tabloid fixtures, particularly after Donald Trump had an affair and locked her out of her office at the Plaza Hotel.
Ivana Trump also accused Donald Trump of rape and of pulling out her hair, allegations he denied. She reportedly received $14 million in the divorce settlement, plus two mansions and an apartment.
Years later, she landed a cameo in the 1996 movie First Wives Club, where she delivered her famous line, “Ladies, you have to be strong and independent. And remember, don’t get mad, get everything!”