The former president said she died at her home in New York. Ivana Trump was the first wife of Donald Trump. They had three children together: Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump. “Our mother was an incredible woman — a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty and a caring mother and friend,” the Trump family said in a statement. Donald Trump Jr., Ivana Trump, Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump attend the 9th Annual Eric Trump Foundation Golf Invitational at Trump National Golf Club Westchester September 21, 2015 in Briarcliff Manor City. Bobby Bank/WireImage/Getty Images “Ivana Trump was a survivor. She left communism and embraced this country. She taught her children grit and toughness, compassion and determination,” the family said. “She will be greatly missed by her mother, three children and ten grandchildren.” Manhattan paramedics responding to a cardiac arrest call found a 73-year-old woman in the Upper East Side apartment where Ivana Trump lived shortly after 12:30 a.m. Thursday, according to the FDNY. In a statement on the Truth Social platform, the former president remembered Ivana as a “wonderful, beautiful and amazing woman, who lived a wonderful and inspiring life.” “Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric,” he wrote. “She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her.” Ivana Trump, her son Eric Trump, her ex-husband, businessman Donald Trump, and her daughter Ivanka Trump are pictured at their Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida, in 1998. Davidoff Studios Photography/Getty Images Ivana Trump, born Ivana Marie Zelníčková, grew up under communist rule in the former Czechoslovakia. She left in the 1970s and married Donald Trump in 1977. He worked for years in Trump’s business empire as a senior executive. She was appointed Managing Director of Trump’s Castle in Atlantic City and helped design interiors for the Grand Hyatt Hotel and Trump Tower. She also wrote several bestselling books and created her own clothing line. Ivana Trump attends a Kaufman Astoria Studios event on November 29, 2018 in New York City. Patrick McMullan via Getty Images, FILE “No matter how busy I was, I had breakfast with my kids every day. I would sit with them at dinner every night and help them with their homework (I loved algebra) before going out in a Versace dress to a charity event in a rubber band. ,” Ivana Trump wrote in her memoir, “Raising Trump.” “The kids and I celebrated, traveled and mourned together. Our bond was and is our most precious possession.” Ivana and Trump divorced in 1992. Their marriage fell apart amid revelations that the former president had an affair with Marla Maples, who would become his second wife. In a 2017 interview with ABC News’ Amy Robach, Ivana Trump said she had forgiven her ex-husband. She also described the formative years of raising her children with Donald Trump. “He was a loving father, don’t get me wrong, and he was a good provider, but he wasn’t the father who would take a walk and go to Central Park or play baseball with them or anything like that,” she said. he said. He added that when he “was about 18 years old,” he “could communicate with them, because he could start talking about work with them.” Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Ivana Trump attend a reception held at Ivana Trump’s Residence in New York on May 2, 2007. M. Von Holden/WireImage for Niche Media via Getty Images, FILE This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
