Melania Trump’s mother, Amalija Knavs, dies at 78

Melania Trump’s mother, Amalija Knavs, has died, the former first lady announced Tuesday night. She was 78.

“It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalija,” Trump, 53, wrote on X on Jan. 9, describing her as “a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity.”

“She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law,” Trump added. “We will miss her beyond measure and continue to honor and love her legacy.”

A cause of death was not given, and a spokesperson for the former first lady did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.

Newsweek reported last week that former President Donald Trump shared with guests at a recent New Year’s Eve celebration that his wife was absent from the festivities because she was at a Miami hospital with her mother, whom he described as “very ill.”

Knavs, a Slovenian immigrant and former textile factory worker, and her husband, Viktor, raised Melania Knavs in a rural Slovenian town before she began modeling and moved in 1996 to New York, where she would meet and then marry Donald Trump.

Her parents later settled in the U.S. as permanent residents until they became citizens in 2018. Their immigration lawyer told The New York Times after the swearing-in ceremony that Melania Trump had been a sponsor.

They were sworn in through a family-based immigration system that the former president often condemned when he was in office.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com