Friday, 1 Aug 2025
America Age
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Font ResizerAa
America AgeAmerica Age
Search
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
America Age > Blog > World > Ivana Trump, first wife of former president, dies at 73
World

Ivana Trump, first wife of former president, dies at 73

Enspirers | Editorial Board
Share
Ivana Trump, first wife of former president, dies at 73
SHARE

NEW YORK (AP) — Ivana Trump, a skier-turned-businesswoman who formed half of a publicity power couple in the 1980s as the first wife of former President Donald Trump and mother of his oldest children, has died in New York City, her family announced Thursday. She was 73.

The former president posted on his social media app that she died at her Manhattan home.

“She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life,” he wrote on Truth Social. The couple shared three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric.

“She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her,” he wrote. “Rest In Peace, Ivana!”

Two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that police are investigating whether Ivana Trump fell down the stairs and believe her death was accidental.

She was found unconscious near a staircase in the home, the people said. The people could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. The medical examiner’s office will determine an official cause of death.

“It’s been a very sad day, a very sad day,” Eric Trump said as he left his mother’s home near Central Park.

In a statement, he and his siblings called her “an incredible woman — a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty and caring mother and friend,” and a survivor.

“She fled from communism and embraced this country,” the three said in a statement. “She taught her children about grit and toughness, compassion and determination.”

A Czech-born ski racer and sometime model, she met the future president in the 1970s and quickly perceived him as “smart and funny — an all-America good guy,” as she wrote in a 2017 book. The couple married in 1977.

She became an icon in her own right, dripping with ’80s style and glamor, complete with her signature blonde updo. She influenced the look of the over-the-top Patsy Stone in the classic British sitcom “Absolutely Fabulous,” with the character extolling Ivana as “tremendous” in one episode.

Trump herself would eventually appear in the 1996 hit film “The First Wives Club” with the now-famous line, “Ladies, you have to be strong and independent, and remember, don’t get mad, get everything.”

The Trumps became partners in love and business. She managed one of his Atlantic City casinos and helped make Trump Tower an image of ’80s success (or excess, to some).

She overruled the architects to get a 60-foot waterfall installed in Trump Tower’s atrium, and she went to an Italian quarry to pick out the rosy-beige Breccia Pernice marble that famously lines its floors and walls, according to Donald Trump biographer Wayne Barrett.

Barbara Res, a former Trump Organization executive who was in charge of the skyscraper’s construction, recalled Ivana helping the decorator and taking a strong interest in such details as the doormen’s uniforms.

“She did all that to impress Donald, to win his approval,” Res said. “She was traveling back and forth all the time, and leaving her kids. She had a tremendous work ethic.”

The two were fixtures of New York’s see-and-be-seen scene before their equally public, and messy, 1992 divorce. Donald Trump had met his next wife, Marla Maples.

“I couldn’t turn on the television without hearing my name,” Ivana Trump wrote in her book.

During the split, Ivana Trump accused him of rape in a sworn statement in the early 1990s. She later said that she didn’t mean it literally, but rather that she felt violated.

Donald Trump would say at times that he regretted having Ivana join him in business and blamed it for the unraveling of their marriage.

“I think that putting a wife to work is a very dangerous thing,” he told ABC News in the early ’90s. “If you’re in business for yourself, I really think it’s a bad idea to put your wife working for you,” he said, complaining that when she turned into a businessperson, “a softness disappeared.”

Nevertheless, Ivana ultimately remained friendly with her ex-husband, whom she famously called “The Donald.” She enthusiastically backed his 2016 White House run, saying he would “make big changes” in the United States, and told the New York Post that she was giving him suggestions on his campaign.

“We speak before and after the appearances and he asks me what I thought,” she said. She said she advised him to “be more calm.”

“But Donald cannot be calm,” she added. “He’s very outspoken. He just says it as it is.”

However supportive, she occasionally ruffled feathers.

In 2017, while promoting her book, she told “Good Morning America” that she spoke with the then-president about every two weeks and had his direct White House number, but didn’t want to call too frequently because of then-first lady Melania Trump’s presence.

“I don’t want to cause any kind of jealousy or something like that because I’m basically first Trump wife, OK?” Ivana said with a laugh. “I’m first lady, OK?”

Melania Trump’s spokesperson at the time responded, saying there was “clearly no substance to this statement from an ex, this is unfortunately only attention-seeking and self-serving noise.”

Ivana Trump had continued her business ventures in recent years, promoting an Italian weight-loss diet plan in 2018.

“Health is the most important thing we have. Let’s keep it that way,” she said at the time.

Her death came during a fraught week for the Trump family. Two of her children, Donald Jr. and Ivanka, and the former president are due to appear in coming days for questioning in the New York attorney general’s civil investigation into the family’s business practices.

Ivana Trump was born Ivana Zelnickova in 1949 in the Czechoslovak city of Gottwaldov, formerly Zlin, which had just been renamed by the Communists who took over the country in 1948.

She was married four times, most recently to Italian actor Rossano Rubicondi. The two divorced in 2009 after a year of marriage but continued to see each other off and on until 2019, when she told the New York Post the relationship had run its course. He died last year of cancer at 49.

___

Associated Press writers Bernard Condon and Michael Balsamo in New York and Jeff McMillan in Scranton, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.

Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Exes Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson expecting 2nd child: A look back at their complicated relationship Exes Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson expecting 2nd child: A look back at their complicated relationship
Next Article Sex of Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson’s 2nd Baby Revealed Sex of Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson’s 2nd Baby Revealed

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Popular Posts

Justin Timberlake Mug Shot Launched After DWI Arrest

Justin Timberlake is now a member of the celeb mug shot membership ... as his…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Trump docs probe: Tensions flare over special master process

WASHINGTON (AP) — The parallel “special master” process spawned by the FBI search of Donald…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

No more fretting about COVID when we’ve got bigger Russian dictators to fry

So COVID is all over with now, huh? That’s great. And boy was that fast.…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Jay-Z Upset Over Rape Allegations, Legal professional Alex Spiro Says

Play video content material One phrase describes how Jay-Z feels concerning the rape allegations in…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

You Might Also Like

Maryland boy dies after being trapped in storm drain as rains drench east coast
World

Maryland boy dies after being trapped in storm drain as rains drench east coast

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Canada will probably be its personal greatest buyer, says Carney, after Trump imposes new tariffs on dozens of nations – US politics reside
World

Canada will probably be its personal greatest buyer, says Carney, after Trump imposes new tariffs on dozens of nations – US politics reside

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
US envoy to go to Gaza meals distribution websites as UN says 1,373 killed ready for assist since late Might – Israel-Gaza struggle reside
World

US envoy to go to Gaza meals distribution websites as UN says 1,373 killed ready for assist since late Might – Israel-Gaza struggle reside

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Labour urged to think about wealth tax as Reeves visits Scotland – UK politics stay
World

Labour urged to think about wealth tax as Reeves visits Scotland – UK politics stay

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
America Age
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


America Age: Your instant connection to breaking stories and live updates. Stay informed with our real-time coverage across politics, tech, entertainment, and more. Your reliable source for 24/7 news.

Company
  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement
Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability
Terms of Use
  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?