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Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State, has died following a battle with cancer. She was 84.
"We are heartbroken to announce that Dr. Madeleine K. Albright, the 64th U.S. Secretary of State and the first woman to hold that position, passed away earlier today. The cause was cancer. She was surrounded by family and friends. We have lost a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend," her family said in a statement.
Albright served as the Ambassador to the United Nations in 1993, a position which she held until she was confirmed as Secretary of State in 1997. She helped shape U.S. foreign policy following the Cold War and considered herself a "pragmatic idealist." During her tenure, she actively promoted the expansion of NATO and helped build multinational coalitions as she championed human rights across the globe.
She was instrumental in forming a military coalition in 1999 to bring an end to ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.
In 2012, Albright was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor.