Dorothy Rodham dead at 92

GlobalPost

Hillary Clinton's mother, Dorothy Rodham, died Tuesday at age 92.

The Clinton family released a statement saying that Rodham died surrounded by her family in Washington, where she lived with her daughter, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her son-in-law, former President Bill Clinton, Reuters reports.

Clinton has often referred to her mother as an inspirational figure in her life.

"Her story was a quintessentially American one, largely because she wrote it herself," the family statement said. It said Rodham was "a woman who told a great joke and always got the joke; an extraordinary friend and, most of all, a loving wife, mother and grandmother."

Clinton had been expected to travel overseas Monday to attend conferences in London and Istanbul, but she canceled them due to her mother's illness, AP reports.

It states that the family will hold a private memorial service for Rodham.

More from GlobalPost: PHOTOS: Hillary Clinton visits India

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.