Helen Thomas, the grand dame of the White House press corps, has passed away at the age of 92.
Thomas, who worked the White House beat for 49 years for United Press International and Hearst newspapers, died on Saturday at her home in Washington after a long illness, the Gridiron Club and Foundation announced in a statement.

Thomas, who covered 10 US presidents, had been a fixture at presidential press conferences for decades and was often allowed to ask the first question.

She would rise from her front-row seat at White House press conferences to end the meetings with the familiar phrase “Thank you, Mr. President.”

Thomas was famous for her difficult questions and was regarded as a pioneer for women in journalism.Thomas was famous for her difficult questions and was regarded as a pioneer for women in journalism.

Helen was a true pioneer, opening doors and breaking down barriers for generations of women in journalism,” US President Barack Obama said in a statement. She covered every White House since President Kennedy™s, and during that time she never failed to keep presidents — myself included — on their toes.”

During his last decade in power, Fidel Castro was asked to define the difference between democracy in Cuba and the United States. “I don’t have to answer questions from Helen Thomas,” the revolutionary leader wryly retorted.

Thomas, who was the daughter of Lebanese immigrants, was born in Winchester, Kentucky in 1920 but raised in Detroit, Michigan.

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