Robert Trump, younger brother of the president, dies at age 71

Robert Trump, a successful yet congenial businessman and the younger brother of President Trump, died Saturday night at the age of 71 after being hospitalized in New York. 

The president, who was three years older than his sibling, announced the death one day after visiting his brother at a New York City hospital on Friday.

“It is with heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother, Robert, peacefully passed away tonight,” Donald Trump said. “He was not just my brother, he was my best friend. He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again. His memory will live on in my heart forever. Robert, I love you. Rest in peace.”

Robert Stewart Trump was born in New York City in 1948, the youngest of real estate developer Fred Trump’s five children. He began his career on Wall Street but later joined the Trump Organization real estate empire as a senior executive.

Robert Trump remained close to the president and in filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Trump family that unsuccessfully sought to stop publication of a tell-all book by Trump's niece, Mary.

The president contrasted his own personality with that of his younger brother in the 1987 best-selling book "The Art of the Deal."

“I think it must be hard to have me for a brother but he’s never said anything about it and we’re very close,” Donald Trump wrote. “Robert gets along with almost everyone, which is great for me since I sometimes have to be the bad guy.”