Thaindian News

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — Dorothy Howell Rodham, the mother of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the mother-in-law of former President Bill Clinton, died in Washington, D.C. on early Tuesday morning. She was 92.

A statement from the Clinton family said Rodham died shortly after midnight local time in Washington, D.C. while surrounded by her family. “Her story was a quintessentially American one, largely because she wrote it herself. She overcame abandonment and hardship as a young girl to become the remarkable woman she was,” the statement said.

The Clinton family said a celebration of her life will be held for family and friends. “Her family is and will be forever grateful for the gift of Dorothy’s life and for the memories they will treasure forever,” the statement added.

The cause of Rodham’s death was not immediately known but the news came just hours after U.S. officials confirmed that Clinton had canceled her scheduled trips to London and Turkey so she could be by the side of her mother.

In 1942, Rodham married Hugh Ellsworth Rodham with whom she had three children; Hillary, Hugh and Tony. She usually stayed out of the public eye although she appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2004 and was seen in a 30-second campaign advertisement for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

“What I would like people to know about Hillary is what a good person she is,” Rodham said in the TV commercial. “She never was envious of anybody - she was helpful. And she’s continued that with her adult life with helping other women.”

Rodham added: “She has empathy for other people’s unfortunate circumstances. I’ve always admired that because it isn’t always true of people. I think she ought to be elected even if she weren’t my daughter.”

In June 2008, when Clinton announced she was suspending her campaign for president, Rodham could be seen wiping away tears. Hugh Rodham, Clinton’s father, died in April 1993.