logo
Getty images
Getty images

Ivana Trump Found Dead on Stairs — She Looked 'Tired' Yet 'Her Health Seemed Normal', Restaurant Owner Claimed

Esther NJeri
Jul 15, 2022
12:35 P.M.

Ivana Trump, the former US President Donald Trump's ex-wife, is dead! Ivana, 73, was a beloved mother, renowned businesswoman, former model, book author, and health enthusiast.

Advertisement

The former president shared the devastating news on his social media platform and remembered Ivana as an exceptional woman whose life was an inspiration to many.

Many others who crossed paths with her in her lifetime remember her as a wonderful person who lived a wholesome life and beat all odds to achieve her life goals.

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. | Source: Getty Images

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. | Source: Getty Images

EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT HER FINAL MOMENTS

Ivana passed on at her New York residence after suffering from a cardiac arrest. TMZ reports that a female member of Ivana's staff arrived at the home and found Ivana on the right side of the second-floor staircase upon unlocking the door. She was not breathing.

Advertisement

TMZ also discovered that the New York Police Department had received a call just after 12:30 p.m. with the saddening news that Ivana had suffered a cardiac arrest. The information raises questions about her state of health in the days leading to her sudden demise.

Hours before she died, Ivana had visited her favorite restaurant, Altesi Ristorante, a short distance from her Upper East Side apartment. A frequent patron of the establishment, Ivana spoke to the owner, Paola Alavian, as she always did whenever she visited.

Businesswoman Ivana Trump attends the Clive Davis and Recording Academy Pre-GRAMMY Gala and GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Jay-Z on January 27, 2018 in New York City. | Source: Getty Images

Businesswoman Ivana Trump attends the Clive Davis and Recording Academy Pre-GRAMMY Gala and GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Jay-Z on January 27, 2018 in New York City. | Source: Getty Images

However, Alavian says that despite Ivana being in good spirits, she appeared slightly exhausted when she stopped by for a meal. He revealed, amid tears:

Advertisement

"Her health seemed normal, she looked maybe a little bit tired, but she otherwise seemed OK."

Ivana Trump attends a press conference announcing her new campaign to fight obesity at The Plaza Hotel on June 13, 2018 in New York City. | Source: Getty Images

Ivana Trump attends a press conference announcing her new campaign to fight obesity at The Plaza Hotel on June 13, 2018 in New York City. | Source: Getty Images

The restaurant owner could not recall what Ivana ordered but remembers it being a "very, very small amount of food."

According to Alavian, Ivana, the mother of Trump's three older children, including Ivanka, Donald Trump Jr., and Eric Trump, was a mother figure to those around her, and her demise shocked many who knew her.

Ivanka, Ivana's daughter, is devastated by her beloved mother's death. She paid her respects on Twitter, reminiscing about the beautiful life that Ivana had lived, never forgoing a chance to dance and laugh.

Advertisement

She holds nothing but beautiful memories of her mother and remembers her intellect and sense of humor. "I will miss her forever and will keep her memory alive in our hearts always." She wrote.

Her three children also released a joint statement and had all good things to say about their beloved mother. After praising her for being a caring friend and mother, they stated how much her children and ten grandbabies would miss her.

Advertisement

FROM AN IMMIGRANT TO A WORLD-FAMOUS SOCIALITE

The hard-driving businesswoman was born Ivana Marie Zelnickova in the Czech Republic to an electrical engineer father and a telephone operator mother and grew up in Zlin.

Ivana Trump, Czech-American athlete, socialite, and fashion model noted for her marriage to Donald Trump, photographed in 1983. | Source: Getty Images

Ivana Trump, Czech-American athlete, socialite, and fashion model noted for her marriage to Donald Trump, photographed in 1983. | Source: Getty Images

Growing up, she took up several hobbies, including skiing at only four. She later joined the junior national ski team, which provided extensive travel opportunities and gave young Ivana an idea of the world outside her hometown.

Once she'd discovered the vast world and opportunities that awaited her outside of Czech, she no longer wanted to stay there, as her mother would later recall. She attended college in Prague, the capital of Czech, and later tied the knot with Austrian instructor Alfred Winklmayr.

Advertisement

While the marriage was anything but ideal — she would later term it a "Cold War marriage" — she did secure herself an Austrian passport. She later disclosed that she and Alfred never consummated their marriage.

Ivana Trump circa 1990 in New York City. | Source: Getty Images

Ivana Trump circa 1990 in New York City. | Source: Getty Images

After attaining her passport, she relocated to Canada, settling in Montreal, where she worked as a ski instructor by the day and studied English by night. Later she began modeling for the 1976 Winter Olympics.

That same year, she worked at a reception in New York City alongside other models, unaware her life was about to change. There, she met her future husband, Donald Trump. At the time, Trump was not the business mogul he is today and was only then starting his real estate career.

Advertisement

They walked down the aisle the following year, and the two quickly became fixtures in New York City's glamorous social scenes. As Trump began focusing more on high-profile projects in New York, Ivana became involved in some decision-making, including getting a 60-foot waterfall installed in Trump Tower's atrium.

American real estate magnate Donald Trump with his first wife, Ivana (nee Zelnickova) at the Costume Institute Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, 9th December 1985 | Source: Getty Images

American real estate magnate Donald Trump with his first wife, Ivana (nee Zelnickova) at the Costume Institute Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, 9th December 1985 | Source: Getty Images

Throughout the '80s, Ivana and Trump became the ideal couple, decorating segments in gossip magazines and gracing Broadway openings and red carpet events together. They adorned the see-and-be-seen scenes for over a decade.

Unfortunately, as the 80s closed off, their marriage also fell apart, and in 1990, they got involved in one of the most acrimonious divorce proceedings of the era.

Advertisement

After the divorce, Ivana did not sit and mop. She collected the broken pieces of her heart and focused on reinventing herself. She proceeded to make commendable real estate investments in the US and overseas.

Ivana Trump arrives at amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS 2010 benefit gala at the Hotel du Cap on May 20, 2010 in Cannes, France. | Source: Getty Images

Ivana Trump arrives at amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS 2010 benefit gala at the Hotel du Cap on May 20, 2010 in Cannes, France. | Source: Getty Images

She also instituted a designer fashion line, the Ivana Haute Couture cosmetics company, and wrote several books. She also appeared in the comedy romance film "The First Wives Club," where she delivered her famous one-liner:

"Ladies, you have to be strong and independent, and remember, don't get mad, get everything."

Advertisement

Years after her divorce, she met and married her third husband, Riccardo Mazzucchelli. However, the marriage failed two years later, and the two divorced in 1997. Even so, she maintained a talking relationship with Trump, who hosted her fourth wedding to Rossano Rubicondi in 2008 at Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

Ivana continued her business ventures until her final moments. Many remember her for her drive and as the immigrant woman who, against all odds, achieved the American Dream.

Ivana has also maintained her fashionable look up to her last breath. In her final photos, taken a few months before her demise, she looked glamorous in a leopard-skin print overcoat, black frock pants, and a luxury bag.

She completed the look with gold earrings and red nail polish as she flashed the peace sign to the paparazzi. She died just as she'd lived — in style!

Advertisement
info
Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories!
By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy
Advertisement
Related posts

Wendy Williams Son Fights to Save His Mother amid Her Aphasia Diagnosis – Inside Their Relationship

February 23, 2024

Maryanne Trump Barry, Sister of Donald J. Trump and Retired Federal Judge, Dies In New York

November 13, 2023

Mom Eats a Full Bottle of Baby Powder a Day & Concerned Her Son Might Adopt Her Habit – 'I Can't Just Stop'

February 11, 2024

Natalia Grace's New Loving Adoptive Parents Now Say 'Something Ain't Right with Natalia'

January 15, 2024

Bill Hemmer: The News Anchor Once Opened Up about Wanting to Get Married

November 20, 2023

Donald Trump & Late Sister Maryanne Were Close before Falling Out in Years Leading to Her Death, Sources Claim

November 14, 2023

Nicolas Cage Has Never Met His Twin Granddaughters amid Ongoing Legal Battle with Former Daughter-in-Law

November 25, 2023

This Walmart Employee Is Child Star’s Spouse - She Died Homeless in His Arms

February 05, 2024

Farrah Fawcett’s ‘Love of Her Life’ Ryan O’Neal Was Single 14 Years after Her Death & until He Took His Last Breath at 82

December 11, 2023

Matthew Perry’s Cause of Death: Why It’s Still Unknown after Autopsy, Burial & Death Certificate Release

November 10, 2023

The Shangri-Las Singer Mary Weiss Passes Away at 75 – Details

January 21, 2024

'The Sopranos’ Actress Suzanne Shepherd Passes Away at 89 — She Was Suffering from a Chronic Disease

November 20, 2023

'There Was an Attempt to Steal Elvis’s Body’: Elvis Presley’s Girlfriend on His Death in Toilet at 42

December 21, 2023

Wendy Williams Made Fans 'Cry' as She Takes off Her Wig in New Clip – Her Transformation through Years

February 23, 2024