Former US president Donald Trump's first wife Ivana Trump and mother of his oldest children, has died at her Manhattan home in New York City on Thursday. She was 73.

Announcing it, former President Trump posted on his social media, "She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life," he wrote on Truth Social. The couple shared three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric... She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her," he wrote. "Rest In Peace, Ivana!"

Her son Eric Trump said, "It's been a very sad day, a very sad day."

Donald Trump
(L to R) Donald Trump talks with his former wife Ivana Trump during the men's final at the U.S. Open September 7, Trump with his son Barron and Marla Maples, and Trump with their family at the US.Reuters

The Associated Press reported quoting sources that police are investigating whether Ivana Trump fell down the stairs accidentally or not. She was found unconscious near a staircase in the home, the people who saw it told AP on condition of anonymity. 

The medical examiner's office will determine an official cause of death.

Born in Czech, she was a ski racer and model. She met Donald Trump in the 1970s and married him in 1977. Soon, she became an icon for her style in the 1980s and influenced the classic British sitcom "Absolutely Fabulous."

In the 1996 hit film "The First Wives Club", she appeared with the now-famous line, "Ladies, you have to be strong and independent, and remember, don't get mad, get everything."

After divorce from Donald Trump in 1992, she wrote in her book, "I couldn't turn on the television without hearing my name." Donald Trump later said that he regretted having Ivana join him in business that led to the break-up.

Donald Trump returns to social media

"I think that putting a wife to work is a very dangerous thing," he told ABC News in the early '90s. "If you're in business for yourself, I really think it's a bad idea to put your wife working for you," he said, complaining that when she turned into a businessperson, "a softness disappeared."

However, Ivana remained friendly with him and even backed his 2016 White House run, saying he would "make big changes" in the United States.

Ivana was married four times, the latest to Italian actor Rossano Rubicondi, whom she divorced in 2009.