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Madeleine Albright, first female US Secretary of State, dies at 84

Living
 Madeleine Albright succumbed to cancer (Photo: Courtesy)

Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright, the first woman to become US secretary of state is dead. The 84-year-old died on Wednesday after succumbing to cancer. At the time of her death in Washington D.C, she was surrounded by family and friends.

"We are heartbroken to announce that Dr. Madeleine K. Albright, the 64th U.S. Secretary of State and the first woman to hold that position, passed away earlier today. The cause was cancer," the family said on Twitter.

Madeleine who hailed from Prague was the 64th secretary of state. In her capacity as secretary of state, the latter never shied away from speaking her mind.

Termed by many as a pop culture feminist icon, Albright always wore brooches which she called pins to convey her everyday mood.

Having served in the Clinton administration, Madeline used jewelry as a diplomatic tool.

This came about while she was on a trip to Iraq as the then US ambassador when Saddam Hussein referred to her as a serpent.

"I had this wonderful antique snake pin. So when we were dealing with Iraq, I wore the snake pin”, she once said in an interview.

Albeit then decided that it would be fun to speak through her pins and even authored a book with the title, ‘Read my pins’.

Albright's experience as a refugee prompted her to push for the United States to be a superpower which used that clout.

 Madeleine used jewelry as a diplomatic tool (Photo: Courtesy)

Following news of her death, tributes soon started pouring in.

Madeleine Albright was a force,” said Joe Biden in a statement. “Hers were the hands that turned the tide of history.”

Clinton paid tribute to “one of the finest secretaries of state, an outstanding UN ambassador, a brilliant professor and an extraordinary human being”.

“Laura and I are heartbroken by the news of Madeleine Albright’s death. She lived out the American dream and helped others realize it. He added: “I respect her love of country and public service, and Laura and I are grateful to have called Madeline [sic] Albright our friend”, read a statement from George W Bush.

“Madeleine was one of the most remarkable people I ever had the privilege to work with,” read a statement by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

As the first woman to serve as America’s top diplomat,” said President Barack Obama in 2012 when Albright was presented with the Medal of Freedom, “Madeleine’s courage and toughness helped bring peace to the Balkans and paved the way for progress in some of the most unstable corners of the world. Michelle and I send our thoughts to the Albright family and everyone who knew and served with a truly remarkable woman”.

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