Madeleine Albright, the first female United States Secretary of State, has passed away at the age of 84. Her cause of death was cancer.

She served as the 64th Secretary of State from 1997-2001 under President Bill Clinton. She was seen as instrumental in helping mold U.S. foreign policy after the Cold War.

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In 2012, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

Her family released a statement on Twitter, confirming her death on Wednesday (March 23). The statement can be read in the tweet embed below.

Our thoughts are with the Albright family, as well as Madeleine‘s friends and loved ones, as they mourn her loss. RIP.