Former President Donald Trump mourned the death of his ex-wife Ivana Trump Wednesday during a funeral service at Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church in New York City.
The former president attended the private “celebration of life” for Ivana alongside the three children he had with her; their grandchildren; his current wife, Melania Trump; his second wife, Marla Maples; and his daughter Tiffany Trump, per the Associated Press.
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“A very sad day, but at the same time a celebration of a wonderful and beautiful life. I will be leaving shortly for the funeral service of Ivana. She will be laid to rest today. This will not be easy!!!” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
St. Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church is located in close proximity to Ivana Trump’s Upper East Side residence, where she died suddenly last Thursday at the age of 73.
A bevy of close family friends, including Fox host Jeanine Pirro, fashion designer Dennis Basso, and real estate developer Charles Kushner attended the service, the outlet reported. Kimberly Guilfoyle, the fiancee of Donald Trump Jr.; Jared Kushner, the husband of Ivanka Trump; and Lara Trump, the wife of Eric Trump were also in attendance. In total, at least 100 mourners reportedly attended the funeral.
The former businesswoman and 1980s style icon was carried into the church via a golden casket, in keeping with the family’s love for gold. She had asked that attendees make donations to Big Dog Ranch Rescue, a nonprofit group that seeks to combat dog homelessness, in lieu of flowers. Ivana Trump reportedly had a love for animals.
“She had brains, she had beauty,” Ivana’s son Eric Trump exulted in a speech mourning her death, per the New York Post. “She was the embodiment of the American dream … She was a force of nature.”
The former president was married to Ivana Trump from 1977 to 1992 until his affair with Marla Maples led to a divorce. Despite a very public and bitter falling out in the 1990s over the affair, both Donald and Ivana Trump remained in contact during her waning years. She even publicly backed his presidential campaign.
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Last Thursday, officials arrived at Ivana Trump’s apartment while responding to reports of a cardiac event and discovered her at the bottom of a staircase of her home before pronouncing her dead, the New York City Police Department said.
Her death was caused by blunt force injuries to her torso from a fall at her apartment, according to the New York City Chief Medical Examiner’s Office. Medical officials have contended there is no reason to suspect her death was the result of anything other than an accident.
