Former US top diplomat Madeleine Albright dead at 84: family

Madeleine Albright, the first female US secretary of state and one of the most influential stateswomen of her generation, has died of cancer at age 84, her family announced Wednesday.

In a statement, Albright’s family said she died “surrounded by family and friends,” and paid tribute to “a loving mother, grandmother, sister and friend” as well as a “tireless champion of democracy and human rights.”