FILE - Former first lady of the United States Nancy Reagan visits the grave site of her husband, former United States President Ronald Reagan, on the 10th anniversary of his passing, in Simi Valley, California June 5, 2014.
Former first lady Nancy Reagan, the steadfast partner of the 40th U.S. President Ronald Reagan, has died of heart failure at the age of 94.
Entertainment news site TMZ first reported her death in Bel-Air, California, on Sunday.
The actors-turned-first couple were married for more than a half-century, occupying the White House from 1981 to 1989.
As a Hollywood B-movie actress in the 1940s, Ann Francis Robbins – known on stage as Nancy Davis – crossed paths with Ronald Reagan, then also an actor. She affectionately called him "Ronnie." The couple married in 1952.
Her husband was governor of California from 1967 to 1975. Following a failed presidential bid in 1976, he subsequently won back-to-back elections in the 1980s.
As first lady, she spearheaded the "Just Say No to Drugs" campaign against substance abuse, carving a space for herself in the national movement to combat recreational drugs.
A regular presence by her husband's side, Nancy Reagan was also sharply criticized for extravagant spending at the White House at a time of high unemployment in the U.S.
By all accounts, the couple remained close until the former president died in 2004 after a decade of living with Alzheimer's disease, a progressive brain disorder that has no cure.
Nancy Reagan will be buried beside her husband at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
They are survived by two children, Patti Davis and Ron Reagan.
This is a breaking news story; please check back for updates.
Former First Lady Nancy Reagan Dies
1/13Former first lady Nancy Reagan smiles as she passes photographers after Texas Governor George W. Bush delivered his first major foreign policy speech at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, Nov. 18, 1999.
2/13Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy wave while attending a gala celebrating his 83rd birthday in Washington, Feb. 3, 1994.
3/13U.S. President Barack Obama escorts former first lady Nancy Reagan to a signing ceremony for the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, June 2, 2009.
4/13Former first lady Nancy Reagan visits the grave site of her husband, President Ronald Reagan, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, June 5, 2014.
5/13Former first lady Nancy Reagan celebrates her 94th birthday.
6/13Former U.S. first lady Nancy Reagan applauds after unveiling the cornerstone for a new pavilion to house the former Air Force One (background L), during a dedication ceremony at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, Feb. 6, 2004.
7/13Former first lady Nancy Reagan kisses the casket of her husband former President Ronald Reagan prior to the removal of his remains from the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, June 11, 2004.
8/13A hand out photograph of Ronald and Nancy Reagan taken on Feb. 6, 2000, on the occasion of President Reagan's 89th birthday celebration at the Reagan's home in Bel Air, California, released by Reagan's office.
9/13President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy kiss on their wedding anniversary in the White House, March 4, 1985.
10/13President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan wave farewell from the doorway of Air Force One prior to their departure from Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California, Dec. 29, 1984.
11/13First lady Nancy Regan models a school cap and holds a school shirt presented to her during her visit to Chicago's Latin School, May 14, 1982.
12/13U.S President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan left the White House en route to Bethesda Naval Hospital for the President's physical exam, Oct. 29, 1981.
13/13President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan wave to onlookers at the Capitol building as they stand at the podium in Washington following the swearing in ceremony, Jan. 20, 1981.
