Ava Arpaio, wife of ex-Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, dead following cancer battle

Ava Arpaio, wife of Joe Arpaio, has passed away

Officials with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office say Ava Arpaio died following a battle with cancer. Joe Arpaio served as Maricopa County's Sheriff for over 20 years, until he was defeated by Paul Penzone in 2016.

PHOENIX - Officials with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office announced on March 21 that the wife of ex-Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Ava Arpaio, has died.

The announcement was made via a tweet made on the department's Twitter. According to officials, Ava died earlier on March 21, following a battle with cancer.

Arpaio served as Maricopa County's sheriff for 24 years before he was voted out of office in 2016, when voters chose Paul Penzone as sheriff instead. He became something of a celebrity sheriff during his decades on the job. Fighting illegal immigration and drugs were his priorities, while Tent City (which has been closed down) and pink underwear became his personal stamp on crime.

Since his 2016 defeat, Arpaio ran in a number of political races, including the Republican Party primary for Arizona's Senate seat in 2018, where state figures show he came in third, behind Martha McSally and Kelli Ward. In 2020, he ran in the GOP primary for his old job as sheriff, ultimately losing to his former right-hand man, Jerry Sheridan.