Donald Trump’s brother, Robert, has died at the age of 71, the US president has announced.
“It is with heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother, Robert, peacefully passed away tonight,” Mr Trump said in a statement.
“He was not just my brother, he was my best friend. He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again.
“His memory will live on in my heart forever. Robert, I love you. Rest in peace.”
Robert Trump (L) with his ex-wife, Blaine Trump, with Ivana Trump and Donald Trump (R) when they were younger
The president had recently visited his brother in hospital
The president had recently visited his younger brother in hospital, after it was revealed he had been “very ill”.
The cause of death has not been disclosed, however the businessman reportedly spent at least 10 days in June in the neurosciences intensive care unit at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.
After he came out of hospital he sued his and the president’s niece Mary Trump over her plan to publish a book about the Trump family.
However, Robert failed in several court actions to stop publication of the book, which is called Too Much And Never Enough: How My Family Created The World’s Most Dangerous Man.
Robert argued that Mary Trump had violated a non-disclosure agreement she signed with him, the president and their sister, retired federal appeals court judge Maryanne Trump Barry.
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Mary Trump and her brother allegedly signed the agreement with their uncles and aunt over their share of the estate of Fred Trump Senior, the president and Robert Trump’s father, who was also the father of Mary’s father, the late Fred Trump Junior.
The president was said to be very close with his brother, despite their different personalities, calling him “much quieter and easy-going than I am” and “the only guy in my life whom I ever call ‘honey’.”
Robert had run some of Mr Trump’s projects in the 1980s, and managed his family’s real estate portfolio. He was also part of New York’s social scene.
However, during his brother’s presidency, Robert stepped away from the limelight and retired to the Hudson Valley.
He said he supported his brother’s White House run “1,000%” during an interview in 2016.