Ivana Trump, the Czechoslovakian-born first wife of Donald Trump who worked as a partner in his rise to fame and fortune in New York City’s commercial real estate world, passed away at the age of 73.
The former president announced the news on his Truth Social social media platform, stating, “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.”
Early Life: Born Ivana Zelníčková on Feb. 20, 1949, in Gottwaldov (now Zlín) in Czechoslovakia, she came of age when her country was part of the Soviet bloc. As a young woman, she appeared on a children’s television show and became part of the nation’s junior national ski team. Her 1971 marriage to Austrian ski instructor Alfred Winklmayr enabled her to immigrate from her Communist homeland without defecting — and after one year in the West, she divorced Winklmayr.
Relocating to Canada, she found work as a model and worked to improve her English. She met Donald Trump in 1976 and the two were married the following year.
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The Trump Matriarch: During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Donald and Ivana Trump were New York City’s ultimate power couple, gaining attention in both the business media for the expansion of their real estate empire and in the society pages for being seen at the most prestigious social events.
Ivana Trump played a managerial role within the Trump Organization, including stints as and president of the Trump Castle Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City and manager of the fabled Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.
The couple had three children – Donald Trump Jr. (born Dec. 31, 1977), Ivana Marie Trump, more commonly known as Ivanka (born Oct. 30, 1981), and Eric Trump (born Jan. 6, 1984). But the marriage frayed in the tabloids as Trump’s mistress Marla Maples suddenly became the proverbial “other woman.” Their divorce commanded the headlines for months before a divorce was granted in December 1990 and finalized less than two years later.
Beyond The Donald: Once she was single again, Trump pursued her own business endeavors ranging from jewelry to a fashion line to real estate developments. She authored several books on her life and made an appearance in the 1996 comedy “The First Wives Club” where she lectured the film’s divorcee heroines, “Don't get mad, get everything.”
Trump married twice again, to Italian entrepreneur Riccardo Mazzucchelli from 1995 to 1997 and to Italian actor and model Rossano Rubicondi from 2008 to 2019. In 1995, she and her second husband reunited for a jokey television commercial for Pizza Hut when the brand was still owned by PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP).
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Photo: Christopherpeterson./Wikimedia Commons.
