Ivana Trump, the skier-turned-businesswoman who formed half of a publicity power couple in the 1980s as the first wife of former US President Donald Trump and mother of his oldest children, has died in New York City. She was 73.

"I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City," Donald Trump posted on Truth Social. "She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life. Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr, Ivanka, and Eric. She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her. Rest In Peace, Ivana!"

Their children also released a statement, calling her "an incredible woman — a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty and caring mother and friend. Ivana Trump was a survivor.

"She fled from communism and embraced this country," the statement continued. "She taught her children about grit and toughness, compassion and determination. She will be dearly missed by her mother, her three children and ten grandchildren."

A Czech-born ski racer and sometime model, Ivana Trump married the future president in 1977.

Donald and Ivana Trump at their mansion in 1987. Photo / Getty Images

Ivana became an icon in her own right, dripping with '80s style and elegance, complete with accent and her signature beehive hairdo. She would eventually appear in the 1996 hit film The First Wives Club with the now-famous line, "Ladies, you have to be strong and independent, and remember, don't get mad, get everything."

Partners in love and business — with her playing roles such as manager of one of his Atlantic City casinos — Ivana and Donald were fixtures of New York's see-and-be-seen scene.

The New York Times reports Donald and Ivana were introduced at a "party in Montreal", though multiple accounts exist around their first encounter.

The publication reports they were married after dating for nine months, before they moved into Trump's residence at the Olympic Towers in New York.

Their marriage ended after intense media speculation over Trump's affair with actress and model Marla Maples. While their relationship began while the businessman was still married to Ivana, Maples has since publicly said she wished they had waited until their divorce was finalised.

"Do I wish more than anything that we could have had this relationship after the divorce papers were signed? Absolutely. With all my heart," she told ABC News.

"How much heartache would it have saved so many people if I had seen that piece of paper before we got involved?"

In 1993, Maples gave birth to Trump's fourth child, Tiffany Trump.

Known as one of high society's most distinguished couples at the time, their separation was well-documented in the media. Ivana received US$14 million ($24m) as a result of her divorce proceedings.

According to Vanity Fair, she also got the couple's 2.4 hectare Greenwich mansion in Connecticut, with an agreement that Trump would pay US$650,000 ($1m) every year to support their three children.

Ivana Trump in New York, 2018. Photo / AP

During the split, Ivana accused Donald of rape in a sworn statement in the early 1990s. She later said that she didn't mean it literally, but rather that she felt violated.

Nevertheless, she ultimately remained friendly with her ex-husband, whom she famously called "The Donald". She enthusiastically backed his 2016 White House run and told the New York Post in 2016 that she was both a supporter and an adviser.

"I suggest a few things," she told the newspaper. "We speak before and after the appearances and he asks me what I thought." She said she advised him to "be more calm".

"But Donald cannot be calm," she added. "He's very outspoken. He just says it as it is."

However supportive, she occasionally ruffled feathers.

In 2017, while promoting a book, she told Good Morning America that she spoke with the then-president about every two weeks and had his direct White House number, but didn't want to call to frequently "because Melania is there and I don't want to cause any kind of jealousy or something like that because I'm basically first Trump wife, okay?" she said with a laugh. "I'm first lady, okay?"

Melania Trump's spokesperson at the time responded, saying there was "clearly no substance to this statement from an ex, this is unfortunately only attention-seeking and self-serving noise".

Ivana Trump was born Ivana Zelnickova in 1949 in the Czechoslovak city of Gottwaldov, formerly Zlin, which had just been renamed by the Communists who took over the country in 1948. She married Trump, her second husband, in 1977.

- by Jill Colvin and Jennifer Peltz, AP