Ivana Trump, Former President Donald Trump’s Ex-Wife, Has Died
May she rest in peace.
She was an athlete, a businesswoman, a model, and the very first wife of former President Donald Trump. Ivana Trump has died at the age of 73.
According to ABC News, paramedics rushed to her Manhattan home, responding to a call reporting a cardiac arrest around 12:30 pm on Thursday. According to the NYPD, Ivana Trump was pronounced dead at the scene.
The news of Ivana Trump’s passing came first from a statement from her ex-husband Donald Trump via a statement on his social media platform Truth Social (via Variety). That statement reads, “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!”
Ivana Trump’s family also released a statement, which reads, “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. 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.”
While perhaps not leaving quite as heavy a mark on popular culture as her ex-husband, Ivana Trump would go on to make her own contributions. In 2006 she hosted her own reality TV show Ivana Young Man. Becoming something of a symbol for betrayed wives, Ivana enjoyed a classic cameo in 1997’s The First Wives Club in which she famously tells the film’s heroes, “And remember… Don’t get mad, get everything!” You can watch that clip below.
Ivana Trump was born in what was then Czechoslovakia, where from a young age she showed an aptitude for skiing. By 1972 she’d earned a master’s degree in physical education, had joined the junior national ski team, and had appeared on the country’s popular children’s show Pan Tau. There have been conflicting reports about whether or not she was chosen as an alternate for Czechoslovakia’s ski team for the 1972 Winter Olympics. Regardless, the previous year she entered into a marriage of convenience with the Austrian ski instructor Alfred Winklmayr so she could leave the country.
By the mid seventies Ivana Trump was working as a model in New York City, which is when she met Donald Trump. They married in 1977, and became known as one of New York City’s fiercest power couples. By all accounts, Ivana was one of the driving forces behind her husband’s business, but that came to an end when she filed for divorce in 1990. Their split printed money for various tabloid publications. Before it was over, Ivana would make allegations of sexual assault and physical abuse toward the future president. When the dust settled in 1992, Donald Trump’s first (but not last) ex-wife walked away with $14 million, a mansion in Connecticut, a Trump Plaza apartment, and more.
