Former President Ronald Reagan dead at 93

Celebrity Obituaries Forum

Former president had Alzheimer's disease for 10 years

Saturday, June 5, 2004 Posted: 5:33 PM EDT (2133 GMT)

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Former President Ronald Reagan died Saturday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 93.

Reagan led a conservative revolution that set the economic and cultural tone of the 1980s, hastened the end of the Cold War and revitalized the Republican Party. He suffered from Alzheimer's disease since at least late 1994.

At least two of his children and his wife, Nancy, were at his bedside, according to the former president's Los Angeles office.

Ron Reagan Jr. and Patty Davis -- children from his current marriage to Nancy Davis Reagan -- were with him, the office said.

Michael Reagan, his adopted son from his first marriage to actress Jane Wyman, might have been with his father or was still en route. Maureen Reagan, his daughter from that marriage, died in 2001.

President Bush was informed of Reagan's death while in Paris, where he is on tour to honor the heroes of World War II on the weekend of the 60th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.

The White House lowered its flag to half-staff after the news.

Alzheimer's is a progressive, irreversible, incurable neurological disorder that causes losses of memory and mental abilities -- eventually leading to dementia, according to the Mayo Clinic Web site.

'Long journey'
At a fund-raiser last month, Nancy Reagan described her husband's condition.

"Ronnie's long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him," she said. "Because of this I'm determined to do whatever I can to save other families from this pain."

She also called for increased funding for stem-cell research, which has shown promise as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's and other conditions, such as Parkinson's disease.

"Now science has presented us with a hope called stem cell research, which may provide our scientists with many answers that have for so long been beyond our grasp," Reagan told an audience in Los Angeles. "I just don't see how we can turn our backs on this."

Human stem-cell research is controversial, because it uses cells harvested from newly fertilized embryos. Bush signed an executive order in 2001, banning the use of federal funds to harvest new lines of stem cells for medical research.

Assassination attempt
Reagan disclosed in November 1994 in a passionate letter to the American people that he has Alzheimer's disease. Reagan faded from public view a short time later and has been rarely seen outside his home.

The former Hollywood film actor stopped going to his Century City office in 1999 but still made trips to parks and enjoyed strolls on the Venice Beach boardwalk with his Secret Service contingent.

At 69, Reagan was the oldest man elected president when he was chosen on November 4, 1980, over incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter.

On March 30, 1981, Reagan was leaving a Washington hotel after addressing labor leaders when John Hinckley fired six gunshots at him. A bullet lodged an inch from Reagan's heart, but he recovered fully.

In 1984, he defeated Democrat Walter Mondale.

Reagan has also undergone a 1985 colon cancer operation and 1987 prostate and skin-cancer surgery.

He fell and broke his hip in 2001, less than a month before his 90th birthday.

SANTA MONICA, United States (AFP) - A serene-looking Nancy Reagan arrived at a Los Angeles funeral parlour to collect former US president Ronald Reagan (news)'s body.


It is the former first lady's first public appearance since her husband of 52 years died Saturday at the age of 93 after losing a 10-year battle with Alzheimer's disease (news - web sites).


Nancy Reagan, 82, appeared calm and even smiled occasionally as she arrived at the mortuary in Santa Monica with her daughter Patti and son Ron to accompany Reagan's cortege to his presidential library.


Dressed in a black suit and pearls, Reagan stopped to look at the pile of floral and sentimental tributes to her husband that had piled up outside the funeral home where he was taken after his death Saturday.


She clutched her children's hands as they walked into the Gates Kingsley Gates funeral parlour, from where the family will escort Reagan to the library in Simi Valley where he will lie in repose for two days ahead of his state funeral in Washington on Friday.


A crowd of admirers lined the streets nearby and scores of police and secret service agents kept a tight security cordon around the former first family.

SIMI VALLEY, United States (AFP) - The body of former US president Ronald Reagan (news) arrived at his presidential library where he will be displayed ahead of a state funeral later this week.


Reagan's coffin will be publicly displayed on a catafalque for two days to allow thousands of Californians to pay their last respects before the body is taken to Washington for a state funeral on Friday.


Following the funeral, the coffin will be flown back to the California for a private sunset burial on the grounds of the library later the same day.


The hearse carrying his flag-draped coffin was followed by a motorcade of limousines carrying Nancy Reagan and the couple's children Ron and Patti.


A smartly-uniformed military honour guard formed by representatives of the US army, navy, air force, marines and coast guard solemnly removed the coffin from the hearse as a band played "Hail to the Chief," a tune reserved for greeting US presidents.


Nancy Reagan, wearing a black suit and spectacles, stood with her family as the honour guard stood to attention as pallbearers carried the coffin to the catafalque inside where it will rest for two days.


The Reagan family followed the slow procession into the building, with Nancy Reagan looking sombre but calm and composed as she accompanied the body of the man to whom she was devoted for 52 years.


The family attended a short religious ceremony conducted by a minister before the library is opened to the public.


Honorary pallbearers included US entertainer Merv Griffin (news) and Michael Deaver, a former Reagan staffer.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (news) and his wife will be among the first people to pay their final respects to former US president Ronald Reagan (news).


"The governor and Maria Shriver will be at the presidential library to pay their respects to president Reagan immediately after the family ceremony," said a spokesman for Schwarzenegger, who is also a movie star-turned-politican.


Republican Schwarzenegger and his wife will file past the coffin of Reagan, who died Saturday aged 93, at 12:00pm (1900 GMT), when his library opens for the public to allow public tributes at the flag-draped coffin.


Thousands of Californians are expected to pay respects to the popular ex-president and former California governor as he lies in repose for 48 hours.


Schwarzenegger said Saturday he was deeply saddened by the death of Reagan, who like the "Terminator" star, was a Hollywood actor before he became California governor and then US president.


"He was a great American patriot. I did not just admire him, I was fortunate enough to know him. He was a hero to me."


Schwarzenegger followed in Reagan's footsteps last year when he gave up cinema to become California's governor, a post Reagan had held from 1967 to 1975 after he ended his own Hollywood career.