Rita Aleksandri Sargsyan ( hy, Ռիտա Ալեքսանդրի Սարգսյան, ''née'' Dadayan (), 6 March 1962 – 20 November 2020) was the wife of

Serzh Sargsyan Serzh Azati Sargsyan ( hy, Սերժ Ազատի Սարգսյան, ; born 30 June 1954)Of ...

, the

President of Armenia The president of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Նախագահ, Hayastani Nakhagah) is the head of state and the guarantor of independence and territorial integrity of Armenia elected to a single seven-year term by the National Assembly of Arme ...

from 2008 to 2018. She was born to a military family and was a music teacher by profession.

Biography

In 1983, she married her husband Serzh. They have two daughters, Anush and Satenik and four grandchildren, Mariam, Rita, Ara, and Serzh.

Activities as First Lady

Rita Sargsyan sponsored the Donate Life charity foundation, which assists children suffering from blood cancer and other severe diseases, as well as the

Autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

and Aragil national foundations. Since 2010 on Sargsyan was the Chairperson of Board of Trustees of the Foundation. The following international competitions were held under the auspices of First Lady Sargsyan, with notable events having included the

Aram Khachaturian Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; rus, Арам Ильич Хачатурян, , ɐˈram ɨˈlʲjitɕ xətɕɪtʊˈrʲan, Ru-Aram Ilyich Khachaturian.ogg; hy, Արամ Խաչատրյան, ''Aram Xačʿatryan''; 1 May 1978) was a Soviet and Armenian ...

International Contest of Classical Music and the

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...

International Music Festival hosted by the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra.

Death

On 20 November 2020, Rita Sargsyan died from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

at the age of 58. Condolences were given by Prime Minister

Nikol Pashinyan Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan ( hy, Նիկոլ Վովայի Փաշինյան, ; born 1 June 1975) is an Armenian politician serving as the prime minister of Armenia since 8 May 2018. A journalist by profession, Pashinyan founded his own newspaper in 1 ...

, noting that she "led valuable social and public activities aimed at fostering cultural life in the country." President Armen Sarksyan personally visited Serzh to express his condolences.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sargsyan, Rita 1962 births 2020 deaths People from Stepanakert First Ladies of Armenia Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Armenia