Former US first lady Nancy Reagan dies at 94

Nancy Reagan, the former actress who was fiercely protective of husband Ronald Reagan through a Hollywood career, eight years in the White House, an assassination attempt and Alzheimer's disease, died Sunday at age 94, the Reagan library said.

Michael Reagan said on Twitter he was saddened by his stepmother's death. "She is once again with the man she loved," he wrote.

I am saddened by the passing of my step mother Nancy Reagan...She is once again with the man she loved.God Bless...
...

— Michael Reagan (@ReaganWorld) March 6, 2016

Nancy is where she has always wanted to be with her Ronnie...Now she is at peace...

— Michael Reagan (@ReaganWorld) March 6, 2016

She died at her home in Los Angeles of congestive heart failure, and will be buried next to her husband, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, the statement said.

Reagan became one of the most influential first ladies in US history during her Republican husband's presidency from 1981 to 1989, Her husband, who affectionately called her "Mommy" while she called him "Ronnie," died in 2004 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's, the progressive brain disorder that destroys memory.



Her most publicised project as first lady was the "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign.

US President Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan during the inaugural parade, 1981. PHOTO: WHITE HOUSE

After her husband developed Alzheimer's disease, she became an advocate for discovering a cure.

She was diminutive and publicly soft spoken but strong will, high-tone tastes and clout with her husband made her a controversial figure during his presidency.

Tiny and frail in her later years, Reagan devoted her time to caring for her ailing husband at their home in Los Angeles' exclusive Bel Air enclave.

She was always a stickler for protocol and detail and stoically presided over the former president's weeklong funeral and celebration of his life in June 2004.