Former President Trump postpones Saturday rally in Arizona following ex-wife’s death

Trump rally in Prescott Valley delayed due to Ivana Trump's death

Ivana Trump, who was the former president's first wife, died at the age of 73 in New York. FOX 10's Stephanie Bennett reports.

PHOENIX (AP) - Former President Donald Trump is postponing a rally scheduled for Saturday in Arizona following the death of his first wife.

Trump said the rally in Prescott Valley was rescheduled for July 22. Trump planned the rally to support the candidates he’s backing in Republican primaries, including Kari Lake for governor and Blake Masters for Senate.

Lake wrote on Twitter that she’s saddened the rally was cancelled, "however I know firsthand that it is important to be surrounded by family when you lose a Mother."

Prospective attendees react to postponement

Some people who planned on attending the event were disappointed to hear of the postponement.

"This will be my weekend vacation I guess," said Laurie Elayda, who came to Arizona from California. "I’ll just watch it on the internet next week."

Ivana Trump's life

Ivana Trump, the mother of the former president’s three oldest children, died in New York City at age 73, her family announced Thursday.

A Czech-born ski racer and sometime model, Ivana Trump, who was born Ivana Zelnickova, married the future president in 1977.

She became an icon in her own right, dripping with ’80s style and elegance, complete with accent and her signature beehive hairdo. She would eventually appear in the 1996 hit film "The First Wives Club" with the now-famous line, "Ladies, you have to be strong and independent, and remember, don’t get mad, get everything."

Partners in love and business — with her playing roles such as manager of one of his Atlantic City casinos — Ivana and Donald were fixtures of New York's see-and-be-seen scene before their equally public, and messy divorce. Donald Trump had met his next wife, Marla Maples.

During the split, Ivana Trump accused him of rape in a sworn statement in the early 1990s. She later said that she didn’t mean it literally, but rather that she felt violated.

Nevertheless, she ultimately remained friendly with her ex-husband, whom she famously called "The Donald." She enthusiastically backed his 2016 White House run and told the New York Post in 2016 that she was both a supporter and an adviser.