Rita Sargsyan
{{Short description|First Lady of Armenia (1962–2020)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Rita Sargsyan
| birth_name = Rita Aleksandri Dadayan
| nickname =
| image = Rita Sargsyan nimg.jpg
| office = First Lady of Armenia
| term_label = In role
| president = Serzh Sargsyan
| primeminister =
| term_start = 9 April 2008
| term_end = 9 April 2018
| predecessor = Bella Kocharyan
| successor = Nouneh Sarkissian
| term_label2 = In role
| office2 = Spouse of the Prime Minister of Armenia
| primeminister2 = Serzh Sargsyan
| term_start2 = 17 April 2018
| term_end2 = 23 April 2018
| predecessor2 = Lilit Karapetyan
| successor2 = Lilit Karapetyan (Acting)
| office3 =
| term_label3 = In role
| primeminister3 = Serzh Sargsyan
| term_start3 = 4 April 2007
| term_end3 = 9 April 2008
Acting: 25 March 2007 – 4 April 2007
| predecessor3 = Susanna Margaryan
| successor3 = Gohar Sargsyan
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1962|3|6|df=y}}
| birth_place = Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, Soviet Union
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|11|20|1962|3|6|df=y}}
| death_place = Yerevan, Armenia
| nationality = Armenian
| residence =
| restingplace =
| alma_mater =
| party =
| otherparty =
| spouse = {{marriage|Serzh Sargsyan|1983}}
| children =
| occupation =
| profession = Music teacher
| cabinet =
| blank1 = Religion
| data1 = Armenian Apostolic Church
| signature =
| awards =
| website = {{official website|http://www.president.am/hy/first-lady/}}
| footnotes =
}}
Rita Aleksandri Sargsyan ({{langx|hy|Ռիտա Ալեքսանդրի Սարգսյան}}, née Dadayan ({{lang|hy|Դադայան}}), 6 March 1962 – 20 November 2020{{Cite web|title=Մահացել է Ռիտա Սարգսյանը|url=https://armeniatoday.news/armenia/200645/|access-date=2020-11-20|website=Armenia Today|date=20 November 2020 |language=hy-AM}}) was the wife of Serzh Sargsyan, the President of Armenia from 2008 to 2018.
She was born to a military family and was a music teacher by profession.{{Cite web |url=http://www.president.am/en/first-lady/ |title=Official website of the President of Armenia. Rita Sargsyan. First Lady of Armenia |access-date=25 April 2013 |archive-date=4 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504053308/http://www.president.am/en/first-lady/ |url-status=dead }}[https://armenpress.am/arm/news/707797 Documentary "Married to the president", «Rossia 24» (in Armenian)]
Biography
In 1983, she married her husband Serzh. They have two daughters, Anush and Satenik and four grandchildren, Mariam, Rita, Ara, and Serzh.{{Cite web|url=http://galatv.am/hy/news/105643/|title="Հասարակությանը ներկայացնելու այնքան քիչ բան ունեն, որ Հռոմի Պապի տված պատարագն են սեփականացնում"|website=ԳԱԼԱ|language=hy-AM|access-date=2016-03-03}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.a1plus.am/77146.html|title=Հարցը Զարուհուն հուշել էր Սերժ Սարգսյանը|website=www.a1plus.am|access-date=2016-03-03}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.7or.am/am/news/view/43739/|title=Միշիկական քարոզչամեքենան "բուքսավատ" է անում|last=Intell-Sol.com|website=www.7or.am|access-date=2016-03-03}}
= 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 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 International Contest of Classical Music and the Yerevan International Music Festival hosted by the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}
Death
On 20 November 2020, Rita Sargsyan died from COVID-19 at the age of 58. Condolences were given by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, noting that she "led valuable social and public activities aimed at fostering cultural life in the country."{{Cite web|title=Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Condolence Message on Passing of Rita Sargsyan|url=https://www.primeminister.am/en/condolence/item/2020/11/20/Nikol-Pashinyan-Condolences/|access-date=2020-11-21|website=www.primeminister.am|language=en}} President Armen Sarksyan personally visited Serzh to express his condolences.{{Cite web|title=Armen Sarkissian expresses condolences to and visits Armenia 3rd President Serzh Sargsyan|url=https://news.am/eng/news/614928.html|access-date=2020-11-23|website=news.am|language=en}}