Ronald Wilson Reagan : biography

Five years before announcing the diagnosis, in July of 1989 Reagan had a head injury. When he was in Mexico, he fell off a horse and in that year he was operated because of a haematoma, which was found in his head.

With the lapse of time the illness destroyed Reagan’s mental abilities. He could recognize only some people, including his wife Nancy. But he continued to lead an active way of life, he walked in the park near his house and on the beaches, regularly played golf, often visited his office in Century City.

On the 12th of January in 2001 Reagan fell in his house broke his thigh. Fragments were combined on the next day, and a 89 year old Reagan returned home at the end of the week, though he had to go through a painful physiotherapy at home. On the 6th of February in 2001 Reagan was 90 year old, and he became the third former president of this age in the history (two others were John Adams and Gerbert Goover, then Gerald Ford also reached this age). With the development of the illness Reagan appeared less in public, and as a result his family decided, that he should live in peace and isolation. In 2001 Nancy Reagan announced in the interview in CNN, that only few visitors were allowed to see her husband, because he was afraid, that “Ronny would want to know, who he had been”. After the detection of the diagnosis and later death of her husband Mrs. Reagan started to support financing of investigations from federal budget (president Bush was against it). Mrs. Reagan believed, that this research could lead to development of methods of Alzheimer illness’ treatment. In 2009 president Obama changed the position of the federal government on this question and supported financing of this research.

Death

Ronald Reagan died on the 5th of June in 2004 in his home in Los-Angeles at the age of 93. The death came in 1 o’clock. When he died, his wife Nancy Reagan was near him, she refused to give details about her husband’s condition before the death, she announced only, that “after the long way Ronny reached the point, where I can’t be near him”. Before the death Ronald Reagan had pneumonia on the background of Alzheimer illness.

Soon Nancy Reagan made an announcement: “My family and I want to announce to the whole world about the death of Ronald Ragan at the age of 93 after ten years of suffering from Alzheimer illness. We appreciate prayers of everyone”.

World reaction on Reagan’s death

President Bush knew about Reagan’s death during the dinner with the president of France in Paris. Bush called the day of Reagan’s death “a sad day”. He expressed condolence to Reagan’s widow Nancy, who said that she appreciated prayers of everyone, who had prayed for his health during all those years. After the announcement of Reagan’s death American flags were lowered in USA.

A former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said, that president Reagan was one of her closest political allies and private friends. She announced, that Reagan would stay in hearts of those, who gained freedom as a result of his politics. She called his merit the victory in the Cold War for freedom without any shot. A representative of the Buckingham Palace reported, that Queen Elisabeth II was very saddened by the death of Ronald Reagan. A former president of the Soviet Union Gorbachov also appreciated highly Reagan’sposition on American-Soviet negotiations and announced, that without Reagan there could be no perestroika in USSR.

Funeral

Immediately after the death of Reagan his body was moved from home to a funeral office, and then delivered in the building of the library and the museum, which were called in his honour. Then the coffin with Reagan’s body was delivered in Washington, where it was left in the Capitol for two days for the mourning ceremony with governmental honors. Nearly 90 thousand people came to take his leave. A representative of USA governmental department announced, that 220 former and present officials from 165 countries and 114 heads of foreign-policy departments and 11 former heads of states and governments took part in the mourning ceremony.