Open Society Foundations founder and liberal billionaire George Soros published a statement mourning the death of former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Wednesday, calling her a champion of democracy.
“Madeleine Albright was an astute stateswoman, scholar, and a true champion for freedom and democracy,” said Soros, who also called Albright “a trailblazer in her field.”
“My colleagues and I at the @OpenSociety Foundations mourn her passing today. We will miss her.”
Albright was pronounced dead at the age of 84 on Wednesday. Her family confirmed the death was the result of cancer.
In 2009, Soros worked with Albright and billionaire Jacob Rothschild to invest $350 million into building mobile masts in Africa.
Albright served as the first female US secretary of state in the Clinton administration.
In 1996, she infamously claimed that it was “worth it” that half a million children in Iraq died as a result of US sanctions, while in 2012 she was recorded calling Serbians “disgusting” after being shown photos of victims of the Kosovo War.
US President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former Trump administration Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, and billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates all issued statements on Wednesday mourning Albright’s death.