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Meryl Streep releases statement following Margaret Thatcher's death

Baroness Tatcher dies at the Ritz

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died this morning of a stroke at 87. Meryl Streep, who played her in 'The Iron Lady' released a statement shortly after hearing about her passing Monday.

Meryl Streep statement

“I was honored to try to imagine her late life journey, after power; but I have only a glancing understanding of what her many struggles were, and how she managed to sail through to the other side. I wish to convey my respectful condolences to her family and many friends.”

“To have come up, legitimately,  through the ranks of the British political system, class bound and gender phobic as it was, in the time that she did and the way that she did, was a formidable achievement….To have given women and girls around the world reason to supplant fantasies of being princesses with a different dream: the real-life option of leading their nation; this was groundbreaking and admirable,”

- Full quote

Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of Great Britain for 11 years. She first came to power in 1979 and famously took on the powerful unions and led Britain to war in the Falklands in 1982. Her reign was controversial as much as it was admired. She was the first and only female Prime Minister.

Meryl Streep, who interpreted her in the 2011 movie at the time received praise from critics both in the US and the UK. She was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

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