Madeleine Albright dies at 84

Madeleine Albright, the first woman US Secretary of State, died Wednesday after a battle with cancer, her family said.

She was 84.

“We are heartbroken to announce that Dr. Madeleine K. Albright, the 64th Secretary of State and the first woman to hold that position, passed away earlier today,” her family said in a statement.

“She was surrounded by family and friends. We have lost a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend.”

Albright was a central figure in President Bill Clinton’s administration.

She first served as US Ambassador to the United Nations before becoming America’s top female diplomat from 1996 to 2001. At the time, she was the highest-ranking woman in US government history.

Albright, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, has been open all those years.

After leaving office, she criticized President George W. Bush for using “the shock of violence” instead of alliances to promote diplomacy. She also criticized Bush for ousting moderate Arab leaders and creating the potential for a dangerous rift with European allies.

According to her family, Albright, who comes from Prague, came to the USA as a refugee in 1984.