Nancy Reagan dies at 94

Credit: Associated Press file photo

Credit: Associated Press file photo

Former first lady Nancy Reagan has died at the age of 94, John Heubusch, executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Foundation, has confirmed.

Nancy Reagan died Sunday morning at her home in Los Angeles. The cause of death was congestive heart failure, according to a statement from Joanne Drake, a spokeswoman for Nancy Reagan.

Nancy Reagan's stepson, Michael Reagan, posted a message on social media.

"I am saddened by the passing of my step mother, Nancy Reagan. She is once again with the man she loved. God Bless," he wrote on Twitter. 

Nancy Reagan, who was born in New York City in 1921, will be buried beside her husband, Ronald Wilson Reagan, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. 

>>Photos: Nancy Reagan passes away at the age of 94

"Prior to the funeral service, there will be an opportunity for members of the public to pay their respects at the Library," the Reagan library announced in a statement said. In lieu of flowers, NancyReagan had requested that memorial contributions be made to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Foundation, the announcement said.

She is survived by two children, Patti Davis, 63, and Ronald Reagan Jr., 57.

The former FLOTUS was well known for her "Just Say No" campaign, which combated drug abuse in the 1980s, and for many other causes, including the welfare of veterans. She served as the first lady during Ronald Reagan's eight years in the White House from 1981 to 1989. 

"With the passing of Nancy Reagan, we say a final goodbye to the days of Ronald Reagan," said Mitt Romney. "With charm, grace and a passion for America, this couple reminded us of the greatness and the endurance of the American experiment."

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Prior to her tenure in the White House, Nancy Reagan pursued an acting career and appeared on Broadway and in 11 films. 
In her last movie, 1956's "Hellcats of the Navy," Nancy Reagan appeared alongside husband-to-be Ronald Reagan, who appeared in films from 1937 until the 1960s.
The Reagans were known for their fierce love for one another.
"My life really began when I married my husband," Nancy Reagan's official White House biography quotes her as saying.
When Ronald Reagan was shot in a 1981 assassination attempt, Nancy Reagan never left the hospital where the president was treated until he was released, according to Nancy Reagan's press secretary, Sheila Tate. She supported him and advocated for stem cell research after her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1994. 
“He was all I had ever wanted in a man, and more,” she wrote in “My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan,” published in 1989.

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