FILE - In this Nov. 3, 1999 file photo, Robert Trump, left, joins then real estate developer and presidential hopeful Donald Trump at an event in New York. Robert Trump, the younger brother of President Donald Trump, died at age 71 on Saturday at a New York hospital, the White House announced. (AP Photo/Diane Bonadreff, File)
[fb_embed_post href=”null/” width=”null”/]
(CNN) — Robert Trump, the younger brother of President Donald Trump, died at age 71 on Saturday at a New York hospital, the White House announced.
“It is with heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother, Robert, peacefully passed away tonight. 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,” Donald Trump said in a statement Saturday night.
The President visited his brother in the hospital in New York on Friday as he headed to New Jersey for the weekend. Ahead of his visit, he told reporters, “Hopefully, he’ll be alright, but … he’s having a hard time.”
He also said he had a “great relationship” with Robert.
Robert Trump had been admitted to New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan.
Details of Robert Trump’s illness have not been released. He had been sick for several months, a person familiar with knowledge of the matter told CNN.
During a White House briefing on Friday, Trump declined to provide reporters with details on his brother’s illness.
*Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the age of Robert Trump. He was 71.