On Sunday, sad news broke that former First Lady Nancy Reagan had died at age 94. According to The New York Times, Reagan passed away from congestive heart failure in her Los Angeles home. Married to President Ronald Reagan in 1952, the First Lady will be remembered for her hard work on a number of high-profile campaigns throughout the 80s and 90s — perhaps most notably, her "Just Say No" anti-drugs campaign she launched in 1986. But despite her many years spent in the political and social spotlights, Reagan's ailing health in later years forced her to spend less time in the public eye. In fact, Nancy Reagan's last appearance is believed to have been at her 94th birthday celebration on July 6, 2015.
According to a statement released by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, Reagan marked the occasion at home with an intimate celebration among close friends, and a tiered cake that was "decorated with cascading peonies, her favorite garden flower."
In September 2015, Reagan invited candidates to a GOP presidential debate at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif., though she did not make an appearance herself. In an interview with The LA Times, Reagan's spokesperson Joanne Drake said that Reagan had "not done media interviews for many years." "As much as she would like to participate in events and interviews, she’s realized that she’s had a tremendous life filled with all these exciting opportunities and now is the time to really retire," Drake said.
In June 2014, Reagan was pictured visiting her husband Ronald Reagan's gravesite on the 10th anniversary of his death, where she watched as flowers were laid on his headstone at the California's Reagan Presidential Library.
Her last interview was with Vanity Fair in 2009. Speaking to writer Bob Colacello, Reagan talked about the Obamas, her own life in the White House, and life after the death of her husband. "At nighttime, if I wake up, I think Ronnie’s there, and I start to talk to him. It’s not important what I say. But the fact is, I do think he’s there. And I see him,” she said.
She will be buried alongside her husband at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.
