Maryanne Trump Barry, Donald Trump’s elder sister, has passed away at 86.

Maryanne Trump Barry, sister of former President Donald Trump, was a former federal judge who retired four years ago

Maryanne Trump Barry, the eldest sister of ex-President Donald Trump, has died at the age of 86, US media reports.

Maryanne Trump Barry was discovered deceased around 4:00 AM EST on Monday in her apartment in New York City, as reported by ABC News. The specifics of her death have not been disclosed.

Appointed as a federal judge in New Jersey in 1983, Mrs. Barry served until her retirement in 2019. She is now the third of Donald Trump’s four siblings to have died.

A representative for the former president did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.

According to ABC, emergency services were called to the scene for a cardiac arrest case. There were no indications of injury or foul play, as noted by the news outlet. A medical examiner will determine the exact cause of death.

Mrs. Barry, who chose a career outside the family’s real estate business, was one of only two female prosecutors at the US Attorney’s Office in New Jersey between 1974 and 1983.

With assistance from Roy Cohn, a lawyer well-known for his association with her brother, Mrs. Barry was nominated by President Ronald Reagan as a federal district judge in 1983.

In her niece Mary’s 2020 memoir “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created The World’s Most Dangerous Man,” Mrs. Barry remarked that this nomination was “the only favour I ever asked for in my whole life”. However, she noted that Mr. Trump frequently reminded her of this favor, allegedly saying, “Where would you be without me?”

In 1999, President Bill Clinton appointed Mrs. Barry to the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, covering parts of New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

A 2019 New York Times investigation into the Trump family’s financial dealings led to a probe into judicial misconduct allegations against Mrs. Barry. She retired in February that year, resulting in the closure of the investigation without a definitive outcome.

Mrs. Barry’s personal life included two marriages. Her first husband was David Desmond, with whom she had a son, also named David. She later married John Joseph Barry, who passed away in 2000.

Known to be a confidante of her younger brother, Mrs. Barry was touted by Donald Trump in 2015, during his initial presidential campaign, as a potential “phenomenal” nominee for the US Supreme Court. However, by 2016, Trump acknowledged in a radio interview that they held slightly differing views.

A Republican like her brother, Mrs. Barry maintained a low public profile and rarely spoke about him. Their relationship reportedly soured following the publication of Mary Trump’s book, which included details from conversations between Mrs. Barry and her niece.

Mary Trump, a vocal critic of her uncle, released secret recordings of these discussions while promoting her book. The Washington Post shared a snippet where Mrs. Barry is heard criticizing her brother, saying, “All he wants to do is appeal to his base. He has no principles. None.” She also alleged that she did Donald Trump’s homework and claimed someone else took his University of Pennsylvania exams.

Despite these tensions, the siblings were seen reconciling this summer at Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey, club, as per ABC News.

Donald Trump, a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, lost his brothers Fred and Robert in 1981 and 2020, respectively, and his first wife, Ivana Trump, last year.

His only remaining sister, Elizabeth Trump Grau, aged 81, is a retired banker.