Jerusalem ( CNN ) -- Sonia Peres , the wife of Israeli President Shimon Peres , died at her Tel Aviv home Thursday morning , a president 's spokeswoman said . She was 87 . The president was making his way to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem on Thursday , said spokeswoman Meital Jaslovitz . The couple has lived separately since Shimon Peres was elected president in 2007 , with his wife -- who preferred to remain out of the public eye -- remaining in their Tel Aviv home while her husband moved to the official residence in Jerusalem . Dr. Rafi Valdan , Peres ' son-in-law , told Israel Radio that she was found dead Thursday morning when a grandchild came to visit her , according to the daily newspaper Haaretz . Sonia Peres was `` all nobility and devotion , '' Valdan said . `` The family members were very close to her . We would see her almost every day . '' She was born in 1923 in the Ukraine and met Shimon Peres after they both came to Israel , Haaretz said . They married in May 1945 and had three children .
Sonia Peres prefers to remain out of the public eye . The couple has lived separately since President Obama was elected president .