Former wife of Donald Trump commanded media attention
NEW YORK — Ivana Trump, the glamorous Czech American businesswoman whose high-profile marriage to former President Donald Trump in the 1980s established them as one of New York’s quintessential power couples of that era, died Thursday at her home in Manhattan. She was 73.
Donald Trump announced her death in a statement on Truth Social, the conservative social media platform he founded. No other details were provided.
“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,” he wrote. “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!”
Ivana Trump commanded almost as much media attention as her husband, and together they helped define the 1980s as an era of gaudy excess among the social elite.
Although her husband often bragged about his singular business prowess, Ivana Trump played a critical part in building his real estate empire, beginning soon after their marriage in 1977.
Often described as detail-obsessed and a workaholic, she worked alongside her husband on several of his early projects, such as the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
She used her business prowess to great effect as well. She developed lines of clothing, jewelry and beauty products. She invested in real estate and wrote several books, including The Best Is Yet to Come: Coping with Divorce and Enjoying Life Again (1995) and, most recently, Raising Trump (2017), a memoir of her marriage to Donald Trump.