Former first lady Barbara Bush dead at 92: family

 

Barbara Bush, the former first lady of the United States and wife of ex-president George H.W. Bush, passed away Tuesday night at the age of 92, her husband's office said.

"A former First Lady of the United States of America and relentless proponent of family literacy, Barbara Pierce Bush passed away Tuesday, April 17, 2018, at the age of 92," a statement — from the office of her now-widower George H.W. Bush — said.

They were married for 73 years.

Bush was the only woman to see her husband and son sworn in as US president. She was in “failing health”, as reported Monday, and had decided to no longer seek medical treatment, the office of the ex-president said in a statement.

Barbara Bush, wife of ex-President George HW Bush, in 'failing health'

CNN reported that Bush was suffering from a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure

The former first lady, who was the mother to former President George W. Bush, was suffering from a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure, CNN had said.

However, the brief statement from the ex-president's office had not indicated the nature of her illness but had said that she had had a series of recent hospitalisations.