Former President Bill Clinton said former first lady Barbara Bush was an example of an “honest” and “vibrant” life after it was revealed Tuesday Bush had died at the age of 92.
“Barbara Bush was a remarkable woman. She had grit & grace, brains & beauty. She was fierce & feisty in support of her family & friends, her country & her causes,” Clinton said in a tweet Tuesday evening. “She showed us what an honest, vibrant, full life looks like. Hillary and I mourn her passing and bless her memory.”
Clinton said that he would remember the “courtesy and kindness” the Bushes showed him and his wife Hillary Clinton, which began after he was elected governor in 1983. He shared that he would “treasure” summer visits to see the Bush family and that Barbara Bush joked with him that he had “become almost a member of the family.”
[Related: Barbara Bush: Her life in photos]
“Our hearts and prayers go out to President Bush; to George, Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and to the entire Bush family she loved so much,” he added. “We know that through them her remarkable strength, warmth, and wit, and her devotion to our country will live on.”
Barbara Bush died after a struggle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure. Her death comes after the family announced on Sunday she would cease receiving medical treatment, and instead, focus on comfort care.
Barbara Bush was married to former President George H.W. Bush for 73 years and launched the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
