President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan on the South Lawn of the White House on Jan. 15, 1984. | AP Nancy Reagan dies at 94 The much-admired former first lady died of congestive heart failure.

Nancy Reagan, the first lady of the United States during the tenure of her husband, Ronald Reagan, has died at the age of 94.

A spokesman for Reagan said the cause of death was congestive heart failure. She died Sunday at her home in Los Angeles' Bel-Air section.


During Ronald Reagan’s presidency from 1981 to 1989, she was known as being very protective of both her husband and of the dignity of the institution of the presidency. This was particularly true in March 1981, when Ronald Reagan was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt by John Hinckley Jr.

"First ladies aren't elected, and they don't receive a salary," Ronald Reagan once said. "They have mostly been private persons forced to live public lives, and in my book they've all been heroes. Abigail Adams helped invent America. Dolley Madison helped protect it. Eleanor Roosevelt was FDR's eyes and ears. Nancy Reagan is my everything."

On Sunday, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama praised her:

"Nancy Reagan once wrote that nothing could prepare you for living in the White House. She was right, of course. But we had a head start, because we were fortunate to benefit from her proud example, and her warm and generous advice."

Nancy Reagan's most-famous initiative was an anti-drug program that became known, for better or worse, as “Just say no.” She famously appeared on an episode of the long-running sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes,” where she brought her anti-drug message to the nation via a conversation with young actor Gary Coleman, who played an elementary school reporter who discovers that drugs are being sold on school property.

Beyond that, she was known to be an elegant, trusted and loyal adviser to her husband, who sometimes called her "Mommy." She, in turn, called him "Ronnie."

"Nancy Reagan appears ideally suited to the White House role that was created by Jacqueline Kennedy," wrote historian Garry Wills in "Reagan's America: Innocents at Home," a book published during Reagan's second term. "If anything, she is more socially involved."

"Mrs. Reagan," Wills continued, "has managed, despite her Hollywood background and some flamboyant California friends, to project an even soberer image of the wife as political helpmate. For one thing, she is undoubtedly devoted to her husband."

She, of course, had her critics — particularly those who found her ruthless in the way she protected her husband and his image. ("Her famous run-ins with his aides," Wills wrote of her, "have almost all been over things they did to throw him off stride, wreck the mood, get him down.") There were also years of snickers about her fondness for astrology and various difficulties with her children.

Also, among those who disagreed with her husband's cuts to social programs. there were frequent complaints about her extravagance — the phrase "$50,000 dollar dress" could show up in the middle of a Ramones song ("Bonzo Goes to Bitburg") and everyone knew exactly who they were singing about.

Still, she became an enduring figure in American politics.

Reagan will be buried next to her husband at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Ronald Reagan died in 2004, and she spent much of the rest of her life working to maintain his legacy.

"Our former First Lady," the Obamas said Sunday in an official statement, "redefined the role in her time here. Later, in her long goodbye with President Reagan, she became a voice on behalf of millions of families going through the depleting, aching reality of Alzheimer’s, and took on a new role, as advocate, on behalf of treatments that hold the potential and the promise to improve and save lives."



Nancy Reagan visited the Obama White House in June 2009, when Barack Obama signed legislation creating the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act, one of many such honors for her and her husband.

In July 2000, President Bill Clinton signed legislation awarding Ronald and Nancy Reagan a Congressional Gold Medal. Two years later, she accepted for both of them, as he was too ill to attend.

"Ronald and Nancy Reagan shared a remarkable grace, a rare charm that set both the American public and world leaders at ease," said Nevada Rep. Jim Gibbons at the 2002 medal ceremony.

In 2011, she was a central focus of a 100th birthday celebration in his honor, held in Simi Valley. “I know that Ronnie would be thrilled and is thrilled to have all of you share in his 100th birthday,” she said. “Does it seem possible?”

At that event, James Baker III spoke of the former first couple.

“She was his fiercest protector, his closest adviser and his beautiful and gallant first lady,” said Ronald Reagan's former chief of staff. “But, perhaps most importantly, she was his soulmate.”

Nancy Reagan was born in New York City in 1921 as Anne Frances Robbins and made a name for herself (as Nancy Davis) in the 1940s and 1950s as an actress in Hollywood.

"In 1949, she became an MGM contract player," according to Ephraim Katz's "Film Encyclopedia, "and for the next decade, played supporting roles in films, then leads in films of that studio and others, never attaining star status."



She and Ronald Reagan, then a Hollywood leading man and president of the Screen Actors Guild, met in 1950 and were married in 1952. They starred in one movie together, 1957's "Hellcats of the Navy," and she retired from the screen shortly thereafter. (Albert Brooks tried to coax her out of retirement to play his mother in the 1996 screen comedy "Mother" but she declined. Debbie Reynolds played the role.)

In 1966, Ronald Reagan was elected governor of California. He would serve two terms and start a pursuit of the presidency that would end with him being elected over Jimmy Carter in November 1980.

"Despite her frail appearance," Katz wrote of her second career as first lady, "she proved herself a bastion of strength."

The couple had two children together, Ronald Prescott Reagan and Patti Davis, a writer whose characters in her works of fiction sometimes seemed to be based on her mother. She was a stepmother to Michael Reagan and Maureen Reagan, the children Ronald Reagan had with his first wife, actress Jane Wyman.

Michael Reagan said Sunday: "She is once again with the man she loved."

"Nancy is where she has always wanted to be with her Ronnie," he wrote in a second post on Twitter. "Now she is at peace."

The Republican presidential field, which is quick to invoke Ronald Reagan’s name in debates and stump speeches, responded quickly to the news.

On Twitter, GOP front-runner Donald Trump called Nancy Reagan "the wife of a truly great president" and "an amazing woman." Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Reagan would be remembered for her "deep passion for this nation and love for her husband, Ronald." Cruz's fellow senator and rival candidate Marco Rubio called Reagan "a true example of integrity and grace," while Ohio Gov. John Kasich said: "Nancy Reagan's dedication to our country was matched only by that of her husband."

"Theirs was one of our nation's great love stories and a model of shared devotion to our country," Kasich added in his statement.

Nancy Reagan spent the last years of her life guarding her husband's legacy. | Getty

In a joint statement, former President Bill Clinton and his wife, presidential candidate and former first lady Hillary Clinton, praised Reagan as a “gracious first lady, proud mother, and devoted wife.”

“Her strength of character was legendary, particularly when tested by the attempted assassination of the President, and throughout his battle with Alzheimer's,” the Clintons said in their statement. “She leaves a remarkable legacy of good that includes her tireless advocacy for Alzheimer’s research and the Foster Grandparent Program.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton’s rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, released a statement remembering Reagan as “an exemplary first lady.”

"No matter your party or political ideology, this is a sad day for America,” Sanders said. “A devoted partner, she was her husband's most trusted advisor and, as such, served our country well. Even after her time in the White House, she was an outspoken advocate for stem-cell research to find a cure for Alzheimer's. Nancy Reagan had a good heart, and she will be dearly missed."

Sunday's debate between Sanders and Clinton began with a moment of silence in her memory.

Others across the political spectrum chimed in.

Barbara Bush, the woman who succeeded Reagan as first lady, said her predecessor was "totally devoted to President Reagan, and we take comfort that they will be reunited once more."

In a post to his Facebook page, Mitt Romney put Reagan in the company of influential first ladies like Martha Washington and Abigail Adams, women he said have “shaped policy, strengthened resolve, and drawn on our better angels.”

“With the passing of Nancy Reagan, we say a final goodbye to the days of Ronald Reagan,” he wrote. “With charm, grace, and a passion for America, this couple reminded us of the greatness and the endurance of the American experiment … God and Ronnie have finally welcomed a choice soul home.”

Susan Ford Bales, daughter of former President Gerald Ford, added: "I hold dear, as most certainly Dad and Mother did, Mrs. Reagan’s many personal kindnesses to us, both publicly and privately."

In a statement released by the Republican National Committee, party Chairman Reince Priebus praised Reagan and her legacy.

“Nancy Reagan embodied what it means to represent America as first lady and her dignified and warm demeanor inspired America,” Priebus said. “Mrs. Reagan will go down in history as a woman who left her own mark on the White House and our country. She was a longtime friend and supporter of many in our party, and will be sorely missed.”

Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton, tweeted her condolences.

“My thoughts & prayers are with Nancy Reagan's family and friends. Very sad to learn of her passing,” she wrote.

