Raisa Gorbachev passes away

Raisa Gorbachev had been at the hospital since July 25 to receive treatment for leukemia. She originally underwent chemotherapy and had shown some improvement, but had been in critical condition in recent days.

Mikhail Gorbachev, who served as Soviet leader from 1985-91, stayed in Muenster to be near his wife throughout her illness. Reising said she did not know whether Gorbachev was at his wife8217;s side when she died.

Bright, slim, fashionable and outspoken, Raisa was the very antithesis of the typical Soviet leader8217;s wife. With the sole exception of Vladimir Lenin8217;s wife, Nadezhda Krupskaya, she was the only Kremlin wife ever to carve out a public role for herself, something few Russians ever accepted.

A former philosophy instructor, she charmed Western audiences with her intellect, poise and designer clothes.

But many Russians disliked her, and Gorbachev conceded in his memoirs that even his mother had never liked his wife. But he never left any doubt that Raisa 8211; his quot;Rayaquot; 8211; was the love of his life, his soulmate and partner in both family life and politics.