Amalija Knavs, mother of Melania Trump, dead at 78

Amalija Knavs, the mother of former first lady Melania Trump, has died at the age of 78.

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Melania Trump announced her mother’s death on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalija,” Melania Trump wrote. “Amalija Knavs was 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. We will miss her beyond measure and continue to honor and love her legacy.

The former first lady did not announce a cause of death, CBS News reported.

Melania Trump maintained a close relationship with her mother and her father, 79-year-old Viktor Knavs, People reported. The Knavses had been living at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, in recent years, where the former first lady and former President Donald Trump also reside.

Amalija Knavs was a former Slovenian factory worker who became a United States citizen with help in August 2018 from the former first lady, The New York Times reported.

During a New Year’s Eve party at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump said that his mother-in-law was “very ill” and that his wife was with her at a hospital in Miami, according to the newspaper.

Amalija Ulcnik was born on July 9, 1945, in Judendorf-Strassengel, Austria, the Times reported. She grew up Austria and then in Slovenia, which was still a republic in Yugoslavia before its independence in 1991.

Knavs harvested onions on her family’s farm before working at a state-owned children’s clothing factory from 1964 to 1997, according to The New Yorker in a profile of Melania Trump.

Melania Trump, who changed the spelling of her maiden name to Knauss during her modeling career, said that she was inspired by her mother’s work, according to the Times.

“My elegant and hardworking mother Amalija introduced me to fashion and beauty,” the former first lady said during her speech at the Republican National Convention in 2016. “My father, Viktor, instilled in me a passion for business and travel. Their integrity, compassion and intelligence reflect to this day on me and for my love of family and America.”

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