Former First Lady Nancy dies aged 94
July 6th, 1921 - March 6th, 2016
US President Barack Obama and wife, the current First Lady, Michelle offered condolences saying Nancy had “redefined the role”.
They said: “Our sincere condolences to their children and their grandchildren.
“And we remain grateful for Nancy Reagan’s life, thankful for her guidance, and prayerful that she and her beloved husband are together again.”
Republican presidential nomination candidate Donald Trump described her as “the wife of a truly great president”.
He said she was “an amazing woman”, adding: “She will be missed.”
Barbara Bush, who succeeded Nancy as First Lady when her husband George Bush became president in 1989, described her as “totally devoted” to her husband.
She said: “We take comfort that they will be reunited once more. George and I send our prayers and condolences to her family.”
Hollywood stars joined the tributes. Arnold Schwarzenegger said: “She served as First Lady with unbelievable power, class and grace and left her mark on the world.”
Actress Joan Collins said: “My friend Nancy Reagan died aged 94. The end of an era.” Born Anne Frances Robbins in New York on July 6, 1921, she was known by the name Nancy from an early age.
She signed with MGM in 1949 and was typically cast in the roles of “loyal wife” and “steady woman”, characteristics that would come to define her in the White House.
Nancy Davis – as she was known during her emergence in Hollywood after being adopted by her stepfather – met her husband- to- be in 1949. They married three years later and had two children together.
She also became stepmother to two children from his previous marriage.
Nancy’s time as First Lady was marked by her role in the Just Say No campaign which urged children and young people to resist the temptation to experiment with drugs – although her first few months in the White House were marred by a public outcry over her decision to great expense.
In her memoirs, written in 1989, Nancy described how she rejected the public image that characterised her as a “dragon”.
Reagan penned innumerable letters to his wife. In one, he said: “I more than love you, I’m not whole without you. You are life itself to me.
“When you are gone I’m waiting for you to return so I can start living again.”
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