Ivana Trump, first wife of former President Donald Trump, mother of Ivanka, Eric, Don Jr., dead at 73

Ivana Trump attends the 2018 Angel Ball hosted by Gabrielle's Angel Foundation at Cipriani Wall Street on October 22, 2018 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Gabrielle's Angel Foundation

• Ivana Trump, ex-wife of former President Donald Trump, died Thursday at age 73.
• Paramedics responded to call about a woman in cardiac arrest at her apartment in Manhattan.
• Ivana Trump shared three children with Donald Trump: Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric.

Ivana Trump, the first wife of former President Donald Trump, has died at age 73, according to a statement shared by the former president on Thursday.

"I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there were many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City," Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life."

Ivana Trump shared three children with Donald Trump: Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump.

The official cause of death is not yet known. Paramedics in Manhattan responded to a call of a woman experiencing cardiac arrest at Ivana Trump's Manhattan apartment at around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, ABC reported. Additionally, the New York City Police Department is investigating whether or not Ivana Trump fell down the stairs of her Upper East Side apartment, two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the matter told The New York Times.

Her death appears to be accidental as there were no signs of forced entry at her home, but a spokeswoman for the city's medical examiner's office told The Times they will be investigating her death further.

Ivanka Trump and Ivana Trump at a Gianni Versace fashion Show during Paris Fashion Week in the 1990s in Paris, France. Photo by Foc Kan/WireImage

Eric Trump shared a post of himself, his two siblings, Donald Trump, and his late mother to Instagram shortly after news of her death became public.

He wrote, "It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Ivana Trump. ... 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."

A post shared by Eric Trump (@erictrump)

Ivanka Trump also shared a tribute to her mother on Instagram, writing she was "heartbroken by the passing of my mother."

"Mom was brilliant, charming, passionate and wickedly funny. She modeled strength, tenacity and determination in her every action. She lived life to the fullest — never forgoing an opportunity to laugh and dance. I will miss her forever and will keep her memory alive in our hearts always," she said.

A post shared by Ivanka Trump (@ivankatrump)

The Czech-American businesswoman and former model moved to the United States from Canada in the 1970s after fleeing Czechoslovakia during the Czech Communist Party's control. She gained Austrian citizenship by marrying her first husband, Alfred Winklmayr.

Ivana Trump met then 29-year-old Trump, early in his career as a real estate tycoon, while she was working as a ski instructor and model while promoting the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

She married Donald Trump in 1977, the second of four marriages in her lifetime. She held key roles in the Trump Organization including managing the Plaza Hotel, and serving as CEO and president of Trump's Castle Casino Resort. During their marriage from 1977 until 1992, she grew to become a quintessential New York figure. 

"She very much was a New York person," her former lawyer Ira Garr told Insider. "Certain people become part of the New York scene who are always associated with the city."

Garr added that despite the family's wealth at the time, Ivana Trump tried to raise her kids with the right values.

"She was a really good mom. She wanted to inculcate a good work ethic," Garr said, recalling that when Donald Trump Jr. made the dean's list at school one year, Ivana Trump offered him a choice in his reward. "She wanted to get him something, so she said, 'you can either have a TV or computer for your room, but not both.' She wanted them to have everything they could have, but she didn't spoil the kids," he said, adding, "I believe the boys had jobs over the summer and that's what she believed in. She was a hard worker."

In the late 1980s, when the power couple's marriage was beginning to reach its breaking point, Trump met his second wife, Marla Maples, whom he married in December of 1993. Trump and Ivana's divorce was finalized shortly before he proposed to Maples, the mother of Tiffany Trump. In her 1990 divorce deposition, Ivana accused Trump of raping her in a "violent assault" in 1989. However, she later backtracked, saying her accusation was not of a "literal or criminal sense."

Following their divorce, Ivana Trump created a fashion empire selling clothing, jewelry, and beauty products online through QVC and was featured on the Home Shopping Network.

Since their divorce, the pair maintained a relationship, with Ivana serving as a confidante for Trump before and during his presidency. She said she encouraged him to be active on his Twitter account, saying that he asked about what to tweet and what not to tweet.

"I said, 'I think you should tweet. It's a new way, a new technology," she told CBS. "And if you want to get your words across rightly, without telling The New York Times, which is going to twist every single word of yours, this is how you get your message out.'" 

As Trump's first wife, Ivana claimed in 2017 that she was the true First Lady. However, she said that she imagined Melania Trump, Trump's wife during his time as president, had a "terrible" life in the White House.

"I think for her to be in Washington must be terrible," she said. "It's better her than me. I would hate Washington."

Ivana Trump in the lobby of Trump Casino in Atlantic City in 1987. Joe McNally/Contributor

Trump also offered Ivana an ambassadorship, but she said she declined because she didn't want to abandon her lavish lifestyle and "freedom."

At the time of her death, Ivana Trump's net worth was estimated to be around $50 million. She was known for tackling a number of business ventures, including a diet program where she wanted to "make America svelte again" in a national campaign against adult obesity.

In 2017, she released an autobiography about her early life, children, and marriage to Trump, called "Raising Trump." It was among several other books the businesswoman wrote.

Ivana Trump is survived by her three children and mother. Ivanka and Don Jr. have yet to comment on their mother's passing.