Wednesday.

Dame Nita Barrow died on Tuesday night after collapsing at a Christmas party.

She was 79.

Community and Culture Minister Sen. Yvette Swan expressed "deep sorrow'' at Dame Nita's passing.

She and the Senate asked that condolences be sent to her family and the people of Barbados.

Sen. Swan said she knew Dame Nita well as a family friend, and probably first met her when she was six years old.

She was well-respected as the Barbadian ambassador to the United Nations and narrowly missed being elected president of the UN.

Dame Nita headed the third World Conference on Women held in Kenya in 1985, Sen. Swan said. She also visited Bermuda many times.

Opposition Senate Leader Sen. Milton Scott expressed condolences from the Progressive Labour Party.

And Senate President Sen. Albert Jackson added a few words of his own. "She has been a prominent figure in the government and political scene for quite some time,'' he said. "It is with regret that we learn of her passing.''