Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first female PM, dead at 87

London (CNN) -- Former British Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher, a towering
figure in postwar British and world politics
and the only woman to become British
prime minister, has died at the age of 87.
She suffered a stroke Monday, her
spokeswoman said. A British government
source said she died at the Ritz Hotel in
London.
Thatcher's funeral will be at St. Paul's
Cathedral, with full military honors,
followed by a private cremation, the
British prime minister's office announced.
Thatcher served from 1975 to 1990 as
leader of the Conservative Party. She was
called the "Iron Lady" for her personal
and political toughness.
She retired from public life
after a stroke in 2002 and
suffered several strokes after
that.
She made few public
appearances in her final
months, missing a reception
marking her 85th birthday
hosted by Prime Minister
David Cameron in October
2010. She also skipped the
July 2011 unveiling of a
statue honoring her old
friend Ronald Reagan in
London.
In December 2012, she was
hospitalized after a
procedure to remove a
growth in her bladder.