In his first public comments since his wife's death, former US President George H.W. Bush says he used to tease his spouse of 73 years that he had a complex about how much people liked her.
Barbara Bush passed away, while holding her husband's hand, on Tuesday at their home in Houston, aged 92.
Tributes are rolling in from around the world from former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to a US Navy commander, who recalled her handing out cookies to sailors on a battle ship.
"I always knew Barbara was the most beloved woman in the world, and in fact I used to tease her that I had a complex about that fact," George H.W Bush, America's 41st president, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Bush referred to his wife as "The Enforcer," a term of endearment bestowed by her family as she ran their household while he pursued careers in the Texas oil business and then politics and public service. He said the outpouring of support and friendship toward his wife following her death "is lifting us all up."
Their son, former president George W. Bush, said his his mother was "funny to the end."
"The day before she died, I said 'Mom, I just want you know you've been a fabulous mother and I love you dearly.' And she said, 'I want you to know that you're my favorite son - on the phone,"' Bush said.
A tearful Laura Bush added that watching her mother-in-law taught her "how to be a first lady, and I'm so grateful for her example."
Current first lady Melania Trump, who will attend Barbara Bush's funeral on Saturday, praised her for putting "family and country above all else."
President Donald Trump issued a statement saying her greatest achievement "was recognising the importance of literacy as a fundamental family value that requires nurturing and protection."
Barbara Bush's funeral will be held at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston on Saturday.
