US president Reagan dies
LOS ANGELES, Sunday - US president Ronald Reagan, America’s crusading Cold War warrior, died on Saturday aged 93, surrounded by his family, after a decade-long battle against Alzheimer’s disease.
LOS ANGELES, Sunday - US president Ronald Reagan, America’s crusading Cold War warrior, died on Saturday aged 93, surrounded by his family, after a decade-long battle against Alzheimer’s disease.
Tributes immediately poured in from world leaders to one of the dominant figures of the 20th century. Reagan fans gathered near the Bel Air residence in Los Angeles where he died.
“My family and I would like the world to know that president Ronald Reagan has passed away after 10 years of Alzheimer’s at 93 years of age,†Nancy Reagan, his wife of 52 years, said in a statement.
“We appreciate everyone’s prayers over the years.â€
US President George W. Bush led tributes to his ideological mentor.
“America laid to rest an era of division and doubt, and under his leadership, the world laid to rest an era of fear and tyranny,†said Bush who was in Paris when he was informed of Reagan’s death, preparing to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the D-day landings.
The White House had been on alert since Friday when officials said they had been warned that Reagan’s health was deteriorating.
Reagan was president from 1981-1989. He was the oldest elected US president, narrowly escaped death in a 1981 assassination attempt and went on to become the longest living president in US history.
Reagan, once dubbed “The Gipper†after one of his film roles as a football coach, announced in November 1994 that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s, a degenerative brain disorder that causes disorientation and a slow physical decline.
From then on, he led a cloistered existence at home, surrounded by high fences and protected by secret service agents.
Officials in Reagan’s office in Los Angeles said the former president’s casket would be displayed to the public at his presidential library in Simi Valley, California as well as the rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington.
A national funeral service is to be held at the National Cathedral in Washington. “We are still figuring out the timeline,†an aide told AFP.
Reagan is likely to be best remembered for his role in the end of communism in the 1980s.
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Tributes immediately poured in from world leaders to one of the dominant figures of the 20th century. Reagan fans gathered near the Bel Air residence in Los Angeles where he died.
“My family and I would like the world to know that president Ronald Reagan has passed away after 10 years of Alzheimer’s at 93 years of age,†Nancy Reagan, his wife of 52 years, said in a statement.
“We appreciate everyone’s prayers over the years.â€
US President George W. Bush led tributes to his ideological mentor.
“America laid to rest an era of division and doubt, and under his leadership, the world laid to rest an era of fear and tyranny,†said Bush who was in Paris when he was informed of Reagan’s death, preparing to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the D-day landings.
The White House had been on alert since Friday when officials said they had been warned that Reagan’s health was deteriorating.
Reagan was president from 1981-1989. He was the oldest elected US president, narrowly escaped death in a 1981 assassination attempt and went on to become the longest living president in US history.
Reagan, once dubbed “The Gipper†after one of his film roles as a football coach, announced in November 1994 that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s, a degenerative brain disorder that causes disorientation and a slow physical decline.
From then on, he led a cloistered existence at home, surrounded by high fences and protected by secret service agents.
Officials in Reagan’s office in Los Angeles said the former president’s casket would be displayed to the public at his presidential library in Simi Valley, California as well as the rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington.
A national funeral service is to be held at the National Cathedral in Washington. “We are still figuring out the timeline,†an aide told AFP.
Reagan is likely to be best remembered for his role in the end of communism in the 1980s.
Ends