Bernadette Chirac, wife of former French President Jacques Chirac and a longtime public and political figure, has died at the age of 93, world agencies reported, quoted by BTA.
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Bernadette Chirac in a publication in Aix. "A noble lady has left us. The nation shares the grief of her family, her loved ones and all who loved her," he wrote.
Bernadette Chirac was a popular figure in France and supported her husband for many years during his political career. Jacques Chirac, who died in 2019 at the age of 86, described her in his memoirs as "the woman of his life".
She remains the only first lady of France to have held elected political office. Between 1979 and 2015, she was a member of the general council of the Corrèze department.
Bernadette and Jacques Chirac met at the prestigious Paris Institute of Political Sciences and married in 1956. Jacques Chirac was President of France from 1995 to 2007, after serving twice as Prime Minister and as Mayor of Paris.