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‘Rest in peace, Ivana’: Donald Trump, kids grieve sudden death of ex-wife, mom with touching tributes

July 15, 2022 | | Print Article

Former President Donald Trump’s ex-wife Ivana Trump died Thursday at the age of 73.

While responding to a cardiac arrest call from her apartment, paramedics found her “unconscious and unresponsive at the bottom of a set of stairs,” according to ABC News.

“The police are investigating whether she fell and, if so, whether the fall contributed in any way to her death,” ABC News reported, citing police sources.

News of her death broke around 3:30 pm when the former president announced it in a post published on his social media platform, Truth Social.

“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. 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 all so proud of her. Rest In Peace, Ivana!” the post read.

(Source: Truth Social)

Their children followed suit soon after with their own joint statement.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Ivana Trump. Our mother was an incredible woman — a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and caring mother and friend,” they said.

“Ivana Trump was a survivor. She fled from communism and embraced this country. 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.”

Two of their three children responded individually later in the day via Twitter. Ivanka wrote a brief post about her mother, while Eric shared a picture from their past.

Look:

Donald Trump Jr., meanwhile, remained quiet, presumably out of grief. As of Friday morning, he hadn’t tweeted anything since early Thursday afternoon.

Town & Country magazine notes that Ivana Trump met former President Trump at an Upper East Side water hole in 1976.

“Donald offered to help her party get a table. He clearly charmed her because the pair married less than a year later. Over the course of their relationship, Ivana became entrenched in the Trump Organization, working as the Vice President of interior design, and later as the president of Trump’s casino in Atlantic City and the Plaza hotel,” according to the magazine.

Despite her involvement with her husband’s business empire, Ivana always prioritized being there for her kids.

“No matter how busy I was, I had breakfast with my children every day. I sat with them at dinner every night and helped them with their homework (I loved algebra) before going out in a Versace gown to a rubber-chicken charity event,” she reportedly wrote in her 2017 memoir, “Raising Trump.”

“The kids and I celebrated, traveled, and grieved together. Our bond was, and is, our most valuable possession,” she added.

She and the former president eventually divorced in 1992 but remained close associates afterward.

“When Donald and Ivana got divorced in 1992, the press had a field day, splashing news of his affair with Marla Maples across tabloid covers. However, some 20 years later, the President considered her something of an adviser. ‘We speak before and after the appearances and he asks me what I thought,’ she told the New York Post in 2016, sharing that she thought he should ‘be more calm,'” according to Town & Country.

The Daily Mail notes that on the night before her death, Ivana had dined at a local restaurant.

“Paola Alavian, who owns Italian eatery Altesi’s located just a short walk from Ivana’s townhouse in Manhattan’s upmarket Upper East Side, said she had dined with him on Wednesday night — the day before she died,” the British outlet exclusively reported.

“Ivana – ex-wife of former President Donald Trump – seemed in good spirits, he said, but ‘looked maybe a little bit tired’ and ordered a ‘very, very small amount of food’ before collecting the check and heading home,” according to the Daily Mail.

Vivek Saxena
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