Ivana Trump Was Planning Trip To St. Tropez Before Death, Her Best Friend Says

Ivana Trump was looking forward to a summer getaway in southern France before her sudden death Thursday, according to her best friend Nikki Haskell.

Donald Trump announced that his first wife died at the age of 73 via a statement posted on his social media app Truth Social Thursday. The former president said she passed away at her home in New York City.

The late businesswoman's best friend told the New York Post's Page Six Thursday that Trump was preparing for a trip to St. Tropez before she died.

"She was leaving for St. Tropez tomorrow. This was going to be her first trip away since the pandemic. She was afraid of getting the virus," Haskell told the outlet. "She was my best friend. I met her the night she met Donald… I can't even tell you how fabulous she was, just a great friend, and the most amazing, inspirational person."

According to the Chicago-born socialite, Trump was "totally locked down" during the COVID-19 pandemic and "wouldn't go anywhere." The late mother-of-three reportedly feared contracting the virus.

"She only walked from her house, to a restuarant next door, maybe one or two restaurants around the corner. That's it," Haskell shared.

But just before her passing, Trump had been ready to travel abroad again.

"We were contemplating taking a trip around the world this January — take two months off and take a trip around the world. I just can't believe it," Haskell told the outlet. "She was really looking forward to going to Europe… We had so much fun with Ivana on the boat. She was my best friend."

Haskell was one of the first female stockbrokers on Wall Street before she shifted her focus to the entertainment industry and became a film producer, artist, investor and talk show host. She created "The Nikki Haskell Show," in which she interviewed hundreds of celebrities and famous personalities, including Liza Minnelli, Tony Curtis as well as Ivana and Donald Trump, during its six-year run.

Haskell and Trump's close bond was evident in their social media posts. In 2018, the latter shared a snap of them on Facebook with the caption: "With one of my closest friends Nikki Haskell."

Haskell previously spoke about her best friend's relationship with Donald after their divorce in a 2018 profile of Ivana from The New York Times.

"[Ivana] has nothing but great things to say about Donald," she told the publication, adding that the exes were "still kindred spirits."

Authorities responded to a 911 call at Trump's Manhattan home at around 12:40 p.m. Thursday afternoon, where she was found alone and unresponsive, local officials told People. She was pronounced dead on the scene.

Police believe the cause of death may be accidental, according to the Associated Press.

Trump and her ex-husband share three children together, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric.