Former First Lady Melania Trump Announces Passing of Mother Amalija Knavs

Amalija Knavs, the mother of former first lady Melania Trump, has died at the age of 78, Melania Trump said on social media Tuesday night.

Knavs was born on July 9, 1945, in Judendorf-Strassengel, Austria, and grew up there and in Slovenia, The New York Times reported. Knavs and her husband Viktor had Melania Trump in 1970. The first lady's parents became U.S. citizens in 2018, while their son-in-law, Donald Trump, was president.

Melania Trump announced her "beloved" mother's death in a post on X, formerly Twitter just before 9 p.m. EST on Tuesday.

"It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalija. Amalija Knavs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity," Melania Trump posted on X. "She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law. We will miss her beyond measure and continue to honor and love her legacy."

The cause of death was not released at the time of publication.

Newsweek reached out via email and website to representatives of Former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump for comment.

The former president confirmed earlier this month that his wife's absence from holiday celebrations was because she was staying with her sick mother.

During a New Year's Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida residence, Donald Trump said that Knavs was "very ill" and that Melania was with her mother in a hospital in Miami, describing the situation as "a very tough one."

"But she's been very ill, so I just want to say 'hello' to the First Lady—we just spoke, down in Miami, great hospital—and hopefully they'll be ok, but it's a tough one, it's a very tough one," the former president said to partygoers. "So she sends her love to everybody and she knows probably about 95 percent of the people here like I do. And we just want to wish Amalija that she gets better as quickly as possible."

Former President Donald Trump described his mother-in-law as an "incredible woman" in a tribute to Knavs shared on his Truth Social platform.

"This is a very sad night for the entire Trump family!!! Melania's great and beautiful mother, Amalija, has just gone to a beautiful place in the sky," Donald Trump said. "She was an incredible woman, and will be missed far beyond words!"

In a subsequent post, the former president shared a photo of himself with Knavs and captioned it, "Melania's great mother, Amalija."

Knavs worked at a Slovenian clothing factory from 1964 to 1997, according to a 2016 profile of Melania Trump in The New Yorker, which reported that Knavs was responsible for "creating patterns for mass production." She also made clothes for her daughters, Ines and Melania.

Update 1/10/24, 12:05 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.