Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright died Wednesday at 84 years old.
Albright, born Marie Jana Korbelova in Prague, served as the 64th secretary of state and was the first woman to hold the position.
The cause of death was cancer, according to a family statement.
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Below is a statement from the family of @Madeleine: pic.twitter.com/C7Xt0EN5c9
— Madeleine Albright (@madeleine) March 23, 2022
Albright championed democracy and human rights, her family said, noting her many accomplishments and honors.
She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 for her efforts.
From 1997 to 2001, Albright served as the nation’s top diplomat under former President Bill Clinton.
While serving in the position, she played a critical role in the expansion of NATO and helped lead efforts to stop ethnic cleansing in the Balkans.
The former president said he and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were “profoundly saddened” by the loss.
My statement on the passing of Madeleine Albright—one of the finest Secretaries of State, an outstanding UN Ambassador, a brilliant professor, and an extraordinary human being. pic.twitter.com/50QXFhzGit
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) March 23, 2022
“Hillary and I will always be deeply grateful for the wonderful friendship we shared and the unfailingly wise counsel she gave us over so many years,” he said in a statement posted to Twitter. “Madeleine’s passing is an immense loss to the world in a time when we need the lessons off her life the most, but we know her legacy will live on through all the students she taught so well at Georgetown, everyone who was inspired by her remarkable journey from refugee to Secretary of State, and the many people around the world who are alive and living better lives because of her service.”
Hillary Clinton echoed her husband’s sentiment.
I will always be deeply grateful for the wonderful friendship Bill and I shared with @madeleine and the unfailingly wise counsel she gave us over so many years.
So many people around the world are alive and living better lives because of her service. https://t.co/aw8HK71sbt
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 23, 2022
“I will always be deeply grateful for the wonderful friendship Bill and I shared with @madeleine and the unfailingly wise counsel she gave us over so many years.”
President Joe Biden mourned Albright’s passing.
“Madeleine was always a force for goodness, grace, and decency — and for freedom,” Biden said in a statement.
Statement from @POTUS on the passing of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright pic.twitter.com/FxTF5GztMc
— Christian Datoc (@TocRadio) March 23, 2022
“When I think of Madeleine, I will always remember her fervent faith that ‘America is the indispensable nation.'”
Albright’s family described her as a “loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend.”
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This is a breaking story and will be updated.
