Michael Reagan, the eldest son of former President Ronald Reagan and actress Jane Wyman, died at his home in Los Angeles on Sunday, his late father’s foundation announced in a statement.
Reagan, 80, dedicated himself to upholding his father’s legacy in his work as a conservative author and radio talk show host.
He spent much of his public life defending and promoting the Reagan administration, which was largely devoted to scaling back the government’s involvement in daily life and bringing an end to the Cold War.
“Michael Reagan lived a life shaped by conviction, purpose, and an abiding devotion to President Reagan’s ideals,” the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute wrote.
Reagan was adopted by his parents hours after his birth in 1945 and detailed his personal complications with his parentage in his book “Twice Adopted.”
Still, he endeavored to follow in his parents’ footsteps. After attending Arizona State University and Los Angeles Valley College, he tried to establish himself as an actor but later pivoted to radio and writing. He also devoted himself to several charities, including the John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation, which he chaired for three years.
His father passed away after a long-fought battle against Alzheimer’s in 2004.
The foundation lauded Reagan’s accomplishments and cited his dad’s “fatherly pride” in him, as described in the 1990 autobiography “An American Life.”
“When I read his book, I had even more of a fatherly pride in Mike than I had had before…he was happy and at peace with himself,” the former president wrote.
The foundation described Reagan’s death as “a profound loss,” adding that his “presence, warmth, and unwavering commitment will be deeply missed at the Reagan Library and far beyond its walls.”
Multiple conservatives who cited him as an “inspiration” praised his ceaseless efforts to spread his father’s messaging and values to later generations.
“He did so much more than share stories about his father. 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,” former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker wrote in a statement.
Reagan is survived by his wife Colleen Stearns, their two children, Cameron and Ashley, his grandchildren, and his half-siblings Patti and Ron Reagan Jr.
