Margaret Thatcher, 'Iron Lady' Dead: First and Only Female British Prime Minister Dies of Stroke at 87

Margaret Thatcher, Great Britain's first and to-date only female Prime Minister, has died at the age of 87 years of from a stroke. Thatcher won three Prime Mister elections and served for over 11 years in the position from 1979 to 1990. Though people in the United States are probably not too familiar with her, Margaret Thatcher was portrayed by Meryl Streep in an Oscar award-winning performance in the film The Iron Lady in 2012. Since 2002 Thatcher had suffered from many health issues including numerous strokes.

Some key moments in Margaret Thatcher's tenure as Prime Minister include her political relationship with Ronald Reagan, turning the British economy around by focusing on free-market economics, and becoming the forefront of the British stance against the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War.

One of her most important stances came in 1989 when Thatcher put pressure on then-President of the United States, George H.W. Bush, to intervene in the Kuwait invasion by Saddam Hussein. Also, Thatcher was a big activist in race and ethnicity equality in Britain. She was the first sitting Prime Minister to visit Israel.  

In a statement from a Buckingham palace spokesman, the Queen addressed the passing of Thatcher:

"The Queen was sad to hear the news of the death of Baroness Thatcher. Her Majesty will be sending a private message of sympathy to the family."

The current Prime Minister, David Cameron, had this to say of the passing of Thatcher:

"It was with great sadness that l learned of Lady Thatcher's death. We've lost a great leader, a great prime minister and a great Briton."

Cameron has decided to cut his States Tour short in order to return to Europe for Thatcher's memorial service. Instead of getting a State funeral, the late Margaret Thatcher will receive a church service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London where she will also be shown military honor.