An American icon. Nancy Reagan, former first lady of the United States, died at the age of 94 on Sunday, March 6.
According to CBS News, the cause of death was congestive heart failure.
The New York City native had been living in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles for the last few years as her health deteriorated.
She was a beloved figure in the political realm and beyond, having gotten her start as an actress in Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s starring in films such as Night Into Morning and Donovan’s Brain.
She married Ronald Reagan, the then-president of the Screen Actors Guild, in 1952 and the pair would go on to become an influential couple in the public sphere. Nancy was the first lady of California when Ronald was governor of the Golden State from 1967 to 1975.
In 1981, after Ronald was elected into the White House, Nancy became the face of the antidrug campaign “Just Say No” and was a passionate advocate of better treatment for America’s veterans.
She was also very vocal about her support and love for Ronald.
“My life began with Ronnie,” she told Vanity Fair in 1998.
The former president died in 2004 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
But his widow remained active in public service even in her final years, hosting a Republican presidential debate at the Reagan Presidential Library in September 2011.
She is survived by two children, Patti Davis and Ron Reagan.