Pamela Harriman, the U.S. ambassador to France who was born to the British aristocracy, married to American wealth and then earned her own place as a political doyenne, died Wednesday.
She was 76. She suffered a stroke Monday night after swimming in the Ritz Hotel pool, where she regularly exercised."It is with sadness that we announce the death of Ambassador Harriman," said Donald Bandler, the No. 2 official at the embassy.
"The ambassador died at 3:48 this afternoon," he said, reading a statement. "We at the American Embassy deeply mourn her passing. She was an inspiring leader and we will remember her with love and respect."
Embassy aides stood by in tears as Bandler spoke. Officials said no further medical details would be revealed out of respect for the family.
About 10 members of Harriman's family, including her son, Winston Churchill, and some of his children, were at the American Hospital outside Paris where Harriman had been in the intensive care unit.
With her smile, charm and savvy, Harriman dazzled men of power and presided over legendary soirees in Washington and Paris.
The names tell part of the story: Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward Harriman.
She was the daughter of a British baron, and her marriages to Winston Churchill's son Randolph, "Sound of Music" producer Leland Hayward and, finally, to former New York governor and ambassador Averell Harriman propelled her to power and wealth.
Clinton Wednesday called her one of the most "unusual and gifted people" he had ever met.