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| Former US president Reagan dies after long struggle with disease |
| | www.chinaview.cn 2004-06-06 07:10:25 |
WASHINGTON, June
5 (Xinhuanet) -- Former US president Ronald Reagan died Saturday afternoon at
the age of 93 at his home in California after suffering from Alzheimer's disease
for a decade.
His eldest son, Michael Reagan, issued a statement confirming his father's death.
Reagan, whose health had
deteriorated over the past few days, served as the 40th US president from 1981
to 1989. He was survived by his wife Nancy and three children.
Two of the children had been reportedly at his bedside as
news broke that Reagan's health was deteriorating.
The
movie-star-turned president, who suffered from the Alzheimer's disease,
disclosed his disease in a letter to the nation in November
1994.
He told the nation that he was suffering from the
early stages of Alzheimer's disease, a degenerative brain disorder that leads to
mental disorientation and physical decline.
"I now begin the
journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America
there will always be a bright dawn ahead," he said in the letter. He has been
out of the public eye ever since.
Earlier reports quoted
sources familiar with Reagan's health conditions as saying that the White House
has been told that Reagan could die within "weeks or months."
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