Margaret Thatcher Former British PM Iron Lady Died at 87

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died in London on Monday by a stroke

Lord Bell, her spokesman, said: "It is with tremendous sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning. A further statement will be made later."

Margaret Thatcher - Iron Lady - Former British Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher, the "Iron Lady" who dominated British politics for two decades, died on today through a heart attack, a spokesman for her family said. She was 87. Britain's only woman prime minister, the tough, outspoken Thatcher, led the Conservatives to 3 election victories, governing from 1979 to 1990, the longest continuous period in office by a British prime minister since the early 19th century. "It was with great sadness that I learned of Lady Thatcher's death," Prime Minister David Cameron said. "We've lost a great leader, a great Prime Minister and a great Briton." Britain's only female prime minister, Thatcher served from 1979 to 1990 as leader of the Conservative Party. She was called the "Iron Lady" for her personal and political toughness. Thatcher retired from public life after a stroke in 2002 and suffered several strokes after that. "It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning," Bell said. A grocer's daughter with a steely resolve, she became loved and loathed in equal measure as she crushed the unions and privatised vast swathes of British industry.

Queen & PM Cameron saddened by Death of Margaret Thatcher

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday they were saddened by the death of former premier Margaret Thatcher at the age of 87. "The Queen was sad to hear the news of the death of Baroness Thatcher. Her Majesty will be sending a private message of sympathy to the family," Buckingham Palace said. Cameron said: "It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of Lady Thatcher. We have lost a great leader, a great Prime Minister and a great Briton."

Margaret Thatcher - Personal Life

Thatcher was born Margaret Hilda Roberts Oct. 13, 1925 in Grantham, England. She attended Somerville College, Oxford, where she studied chemistry and, later, in 1953, qualified as a barrister, specializing in tax issues. She married Denis Thatcher Dec. 13, 1951, and their marriage lasted for nearly 52 years until his death in June 2003. The couple had twins, Mark and Carol, in 1953. When Thatcher was elected to Britain's House of Commons in 1959, she was its youngest female member. In 1970, when the Conservatives took power, she was made Britain's secretary of state for education and science. In 1975, she was chosen to lead the Conservatives, and she became the prime minister in 1979.

Margaret Thatcher - Iron Lady who changed Britain

Thatcher will be remembered as "The Iron Lady" who helped end the Cold War and whose economic reforms divided Britain. Behind the bouffant hair, trademark handbag and schoolma'am voice was an uncompromising Conservative who regularly cut her male colleagues and opponents down to size with a sharp tongue and even sharper political brain. Right-wingers hailed her as having hauled Britain out of the economic doldrums but the left accused her of dismantling traditional industry, claiming her reforms helped unpick the fabric of society. On the world stage, she built a close "special relationship" with US president Ronald Reagan which helped bring the curtain down on Soviet Communism. She also fiercely opposed closer ties with Europe. But in the final years of her life, Thatcher -- the 20th century's longest continuous occupant of 10 Downing Street, from 1979 to 1990 -- cut a subdued figure. After a series of minor strokes, she was told by doctors to quit public speaking in 2002 and, as dementia took hold, she appeared increasingly rarely in public. Queen Elizabeth said she was sad to hear the news of Thatcher's death and sent a message of sympathy to her family. Former British PM Margaret Thatcher dies at 87 following a stroke.
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