Michael Reagan, the son of former President Ronald Reagan, has died, his family announced on Tuesday.
He died on Sunday in Los Angeles while surrounded by his family, according to a statement from the Reagan family. He was 80 years old.
“Michael was and will always remain a beloved husband, father, and grandpa,” the family said. “Our hearts are deeply broken as we grieve the loss of a man who meant so much to all who knew and loved him.”
Republican strategist Michael Reagan speaks at a get-out-the-vote rally for Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle featuring Sen. John McCain, Oct. 29, 2010, in Las Vegas,
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Michael Reagan, one of the former president’s five children, was a conservative political commentator and nationally syndicated radio talk show host.
He was remembered by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute as a “steadfast guardian of his father’s legacy.”
“Michael Reagan lived a life shaped by conviction, purpose, and an abiding devotion to President Reagan’s ideals,” Fred Ryan, chairman of the foundation’s board, said in a statement. “A successful author, nationally syndicated radio talk show host, and sought-after public speaker, Michael used his voice to champion freedom, personal responsibility, and the principles that defined his father’s presidency.”
Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, the president of the conservative student organization Young America’s Foundation, said he was a “wonderful inspiration to so many of us.”
“He did so much more than share stories about his father,” Walker said in a statement. “He challenged the next generation to share the values he stood for throughout his public life. He called on them to be happy warriors in the battle to uphold the founding principles of our republic.”
Michael Reagan died following a battle with cancer, according to Andrew Coffin, vice president of the Young America’s Foundation and director of the Reagan Ranch.
He was adopted by Ronald Reagan and his first wife, the actress Jane Wyman, hours after he was born on March 18, 1945, according to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.
The couple also had two daughters — Maureen Reagan, a political activist who died in 2001 at the age of 60, and Christine Reagan, who died at birth or shortly after, according to the presidential library.
Ronald Reagan also had two children with his second wife, former first lady Nancy Reagan — the actress and author Patti Davis and Ron Reagan, a political commentator.
Michael Reagan is survived by his wife, Colleen, their two children, Ashley and Cameron, and their families.
