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Maryanne Trump Barry, former judge and sister of Donald Trump, dies

(NEXSTAR) – Maryanne Trump Barry, a retired federal judge and the eldest sister of former President Donald Trump, has died. She was 86 years old.

ABC News reported she was found in her New York City apartment. A cause of death has not yet been released.


The NYPD confirmed that officers were sent to Barry’s Manhattan home just before 4:30 a.m. and discovered a deceased 86-year-old woman. Her death was confirmed to the Associated Press by a judicial official who spoke on condition of anonymity because Barry’s death hadn’t been announced publicly by either the court or Trump’s family.

Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump Barry was an older sister of former President Donald Trump. She was a prosecutor before being appointed as a federal judge to the United States Court for the District of New Jersey in 1983. In 1999, she was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

She served as a judge until her retirement in 2019.

At the time of her retirement, she was under investigation for tax fraud, which would have been a violation of judicial conduct rules, CNN reports. However, because she retired, the conduct investigation was dropped.

FILE – Donald Trump is pictured with his sister Maryanne Trump Barry as they adjourn for lunch during a public inquiry over his plans to build a golf resort near Aberdeen, Scotland, on June 10, 2008. (Photo by ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images)

The oldest of the former president’s siblings, Trump Barry’s advice was valued by Donald Trump throughout his political career, the New York Times writes. But their relationship took a hit when Mary Trump, the former president’s niece, released audio recordings of Trump Barry making unfavorable comments about Ivanka and Eric Trump.

In the recordings, Trump Barry could also be heard sharply criticizing her brother, at one point saying the former president “has no principles” and is “cruel.”

The former president’s younger brother, Robert Trump, died in 2020 at 71, and Donald Trump held a service at the White House in his honor. His older brother, Fred Trump Jr., died of a heart attack at 42.

Donald Trump’s ex-wife, Ivana Trump, died in 2022 at the age of 73.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.