Ivana Trump spent her final hours dining at a New York restaurant, feeling a little fatigued.

In his letter, Eric Trump said, "Our mother was a great woman—a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and a loving mother and friend. She accepted this nation after escaping communism. She instilled in her kids the values of compassion, perseverance, and grit.

Ivana Trump was found by authorities to be unresponsive at the scene, and emergency medical personnel pronounced her dead, according to a statement from the New York Police Department. The city's medical examiner will establish the cause of death because there were no indications of foul play.
According to a profile on the website of talent agency CMG Worldwide, Ivana Trump grew up in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia, which is south of Prague. Before beginning a modeling career, she immigrated to Canada in the 1970s and worked as a ski instructor.
She met Donald Trump in 1976 while visiting New York for work. The biography states that the couple was hitched in 1977.
Her first child, Donald Trump Jr., was born in the same year. Her daughter Ivanka and son Eric were born the following year.
Ivana Trump served as the Trump Organization's vice president of interior design. She worked on the design of Trump Tower and held the position of CEO of a few Trump hotel companies.
The couple's failing marriage was featured on tabloid front pages, and they eventually got divorced in 1992.
After the divorce, she continued to be well-known and capitalized on her notoriety by appearing in commercials for well-known companies and starting a cosmetics line called Ivana Haute Couture.

After Trump was elected president, she caused controversy by referring to herself as the "first lady" in an interview with ABC News.
I have the White House's direct number, but I don't want to call him there because Melania is there and I don't want to arouse any jealously since I am essentially the first Trump wife, she added. I'm the first lady.
Donald, Ivanka, and Eric Trump, Ivana Trump's three adult children, and a number of grandkids, all survive her.
