Hillary Clinton's mother Dorothy Rodham passes away, aged 92

Hillary Clinton's mother Dorothy Rodham has passed away at the age of 92.

US Secretary of State Clinton said on Monday that she was cancelling a trip abroad in order to visit her mother. Rodham died shortly after midnight on Tuesday.

"Her story was a quintessentially American one, largely because she wrote it herself," a statement from the family read.

"She overcame abandonment and hardship as a young girl to become the remarkable woman she was - a warm, generous and strong woman; an intellectual; a woman who told a great joke and always got the joke; an extraordinary friend and, most of all, a loving wife, mother and grandmother."

The family will hold a private service celebrating Rodham's life.

Hillary's husband Bill Clinton recently revealed that he turned down an offer to appear as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars because he "didn't have time".

Joan Rivers has praised Hillary for having perfect style, claiming the Secretary of State has developed a fashion sense that never distracts from her role as a diplomat.