Former First Lady Nancy Reagan dead at 94.

Former first lady Nancy Reagan has died at the age of 94 after years of bad health.

The widow of the late US president Ronald Reagan was living in Bel Air, Los Angeles.

Reagan, who became one of the most influential and recognisable first ladies in US history died on Sunday morning of congestive heart failure.

Her husband, Ronald Reagan was US President from 1981 to 1989.

Her death was announced by a spokesperson for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

The White House paid their respects to Mrs Reagan:

Tributes for the former First Lady have been flooding social media with Republican candidates Ted Cruz and Donald Trump mourning Mrs Reagan’s passing.

Celebrities also took to Twitter to pay their respects to the former First Lady.

Nancy Reagan met her husband when she was an actress, but became known as one of the most powerful First Ladies in history.

“Without Nancy, there would have been no Governor Reagan, no President Reagan,” Michael K. Deaver, the longtime aide and close friend of the Reagans told The New York Times. 

She became well known for her  “Just Say No” anti-drugs campaign in the 1980s where she appeared repeatedly on TV to advance the anti-drug message. “Just Say No” became a controversial slogan – despite a huge groundswell of support – with many saying it was too simplistic.

In 1987, Nancy Reagan underwent a mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

After the couple left the White House, Mrs Reagan continued raising awareness for substance abuse, she also became involved with Alzheimer’s research in 1994, after the former president was diagnosed with the disease. In 2004, Reagan broke from her party and began supporting stem cell research.

Her official White House biography quotes her as saying, “My life really began when I married my husband.”

Nancy Reagan told CNN’s Larry King in June 2007 that she would never stop grieving after he died in 2004.

“I miss him now more than I ever did,” she said. “I’m lonely because I don’t have him.”

At the age of 94 Nancy Reagan will be buried beside him on a hilltop at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.