Nancy Reagan, Former First Lady, Dead At 94

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan died in her Los Angeles home at 94, the Reagan Foundation announced Sunday, per CBS News. Her spokesperson said the cause of death was congestive heart failure, according to the New York Times.

Born Anne Frances "Nancy" Robbins in New York City, she later took the last name Davis after her actress mother divorced and remarried. The young Davis attended Smith College and made her way to Hollywood, starring in 11 feature films. As an actress, she met Ronald Reagan, then the president of the Screen Actors Guild. The couple married in 1952 and acted in one movie together, 1957's Hellcats of the Navy, before he shifted his focus to politics. Her husband, a Republican, went on to serve as governor of California from 1967-75 and became the 40th president of the United States, serving in office from 1981-89.

As the country's first lady, Nancy Reagan was perhaps best known for beginning the Just Say No campaign to prevent drug use among young people. She was also famous for consulting an astrologer to create her husband's schedule, a practice the White House acknowledged was related to concerns she had about his safety.

Reagan was also vocal on a number of heath-related issues. In 1987, she underwent a mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer and discussed her operation openly to encourage more women to be screened for the disease. She also became an advocate of stem cell research following her husband's Alzheimer's diagnosis in 1994.

Reagan is survived by her two children, Patti Davis and Ronald Reagan Jr.

 

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