Kitty Dukakis, the wife of former Massachusetts governor and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, has died at the age of 88, Fox News Digital has confirmed.
Her son, John Dukakis, said that the wife and mother of three died Friday night “surrounded by family.”
“She was born on December 26, 1936, and lived a full life fighting to make the world a better place and sharing her vulnerabilities to help others face theirs,” he said in a statement. “She was loving, feisty and fun, and had a keen sensitivity to people from all walks of life. She and our dad, Michael Dukakis, shared an enviable partnership for over 60 years and loved each other deeply. Thank you to all who have touched our lives over the years or who were touched by our mother.”
Michael and Kitty Dukakis respond to the cheers of the delegates at the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention. (Getty Images)
The Washington Post and the New York Times both reported that John Dukakis said his mother’s cause of death was complications from dementia and that she died at her home in Brookline, Mass.
Kitty Dukakis was the first lady of Massachusetts during her husband’s three nonconsecutive terms and supported Michael Dukakis during his unsuccessful presidential run against Vice President George H.W. Bush.
In what was considered a pivotal moment of the campaign, Michael Dukakis was asked by CNN moderator Bernard Shaw during the first presidential debate, “Governor, if Kitty Dukakis was raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?” He responded flatly, “No, I don’t, Bernard,” and went on to reiterate his opposition to the death penalty.
Kitty Dukakis later said her husband admitted “I really blew it,” with an answer that was widely perceived as emotionless and tone-deaf. She also condemned the question as “outrageous.”
Massachusetts Gov. John Dukakis and Kitty Dukakis stand at the podium to consent to the loss of his presidential campaign in Boston, November 1988. (Mikki Ansin/Getty Images)
In her 60s, Kitty Dukakis, supported by her husband, became an advocate for electroconvulsive therapy to treat depression. She authored books opening up about her addiction to diet pills and alcohol.
She was of Jewish background, though her husband was Greek Orthodox. A longtime advocate who was involved in projects on subjects including the homeless, refugees, and AIDS, Kitty Dukakis was appointed by former President Jimmy Carter, and by former President H.W. Bush, her husband’s former rival, to commissions that led to the creation of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Michael and Kitty Dukakis talk to journalists while waiting for the results of the Massachusetts Democratic gubernatorial primary in Boston on Sept. 19, 1978. (Barbara Alper/Getty Images)
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Her father was Ellis Dickson, the first violinist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a conductor of the Boston Pops. She detailed a more complicated relationship with her mother, Jane (Goldberg) Dickson, in her first book, “Now You Know.”