{O/C} The United States' first female Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, has passed away at the age of 84.
She was an icon of America as well as females as she became a mentor to a multitude of American politicians.
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Albright was born in Germany during the Nazi- and then Soviet-dominated era.
Her family barely dodged extermination during the Holocaust.
She arrived in the United States at age 11 as a political refugee and studied public law and government at Columbia Univerisity.
But only few had a clue about the role she would take up decades later.
Prior to Albright's nomination, the inner sanctum of U.S. foreign policymaking had been dominated by males.
She broke the glass ceiling during President Bill Clinton's tenure, becoming America's first female Secretary of State and ambassador to the United Nations.
As such, not only did she adopt heavy-handed methods in dealing with Cuba, but she also blasted former president Bush for driving a wedge between America and Arab leaders.
In addition to contending with conflicts in Bosnia-Hervzgovina, Kosovo and the Middle East, she also ratified NATO's expansion and restricted the use of chemical weapons.
She also won legions of admirers for her tough talk.
As a refugee during the Hitler era with a perilous life, Albright was a mentor to countless females as she urged women to stop being diffident and raise questions whenever they occur during an era dominated by males.
While she didn't take the helm due to her background, she did give Hillary Clinton a powerful endorsement on Clinton's campaign trail.
{Soundbite} MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, Former U.S. Secretary of State: At the age of 11, I sailed past the Statue of Liberty and started my life in the world's greatest democracy. I am so grateful to our country and I am supporting Hillary Clinton because I love it.
Admitting America should not go it alone, Albright also lobbied for multinational support for thwarting a new generation of tyrants.
Condolences poured in from around the world as President Joe Biden ordered flags at the White House and other federal buildings and grounds be lowered to half-staff until next Sunday.
Biden quoted Albright as saying, "America is the indispensable nation", and hailed her as the most committed champion of true democracy.
And both the current U.S. Secretary of State and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations call her a legendary trailblazer and a lodestar who will go down in the annals of American history.
Former President Barack Obama awarded Albright the Medal of Freedom for championing democracy against all odds.
Albright's family said they are gutted as they have lost a loving family member.
Albright, who died of cancer on Wednesday, was 84 years old.
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