Madeleine Albright, the 1st female U.S. secretary of state, dies of cancer at 84

Madeleine Albright, the first female secretary of state for the U.S., has died of cancer, her family announced Wednesday. She was 84 years old.

"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," her family said in a statement. "The cause was cancer. She was surrounded by family and friends. We have lost a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend."

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.