NANCY REAGAN, the former first lady to president Ronald Reagan, who herself became a powerful campaigner, has died in California at the age of 94.
Mrs Reagan, who became one of the most influential first ladies in US history, died on Sunday morning at her home in Los Angeles of congestive heart failure.
The death of Mrs Reagan, who been suffering from failing health in recent years, has been confirmed by the Reagan Library.
Her 52-year marriage to Ronald Reagan was once described as the greatest love affair in the history of the American presidency.
When she became first lady in 1981 Mrs Reagan was heavily criticised for an expensive renovation of the White House, but she later became a much-loved public figure.
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Husband Ronald, who affectionately called her “Mommy”, died in June 2004 after a ten-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Michael Reagan, Mrs Reagan’s stepson, led the tributes on Twitter, saying: “I am saddened by the passing of my step mother Nancy Reagan… She is once again with the man she loved God Bless…”.
Nancy Reagan was born Anne Francis Robbins in 1921 in New York.
She worked as an actress in the 1940s and 1950s and married Ronald Reagan, who was then president of the Screen Actors Guild, in 1952.
She served as first lady of California during her husband’s stint as the state governor from 1967 to 1975 before moving into the White House after his decisive victory over Jimmy Carter, the incumbent Democrat president, in 1980.
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Her most publicised project as first lady was the “Just Say No” anti-drug campaign, and she became an advocate for research into Alzheimer’s after her husband was diagnosed with the disease.
Diminutive and softly spoken, Nancy Reagan’s strong will, high-tone tastes and clout with her husband made her a controversial figure during his presidency.
“I see the first lady as another means to keep a president from becoming isolated,” she said in 1985. “I talk to people. They tell me things.
“And if something is about to become a problem, I’m not above calling a staff person and asking about it. I’m a woman who loves her husband and I make no apologies for looking out for his personal and political welfare.”
Donald Trump tweeted “Nancy Reagan, the wife of a truly great President, was an amazing woman. She will be missed!”