Thursday, August 09, 2001, updated at 09:24(GMT+8)
World
Former President Reagan's Daughter Dies of Cancer
Maureen Reagan, the outspoken presidential daughter who became a crusader for Alzheimer's disease awareness after her father fell ill, died Wednesday. She was 60 and had suffered from skin cancer Ms. Reagan, the first child of Ronald Reagan's first marriage, to actress Jane Wyman, died peacefully at her Sacramento-area home, said her husband, Dennis C. Revell.
"Ronnie and I loved Mermie very much. We will miss her terribly," Nancy Reagan said in a statement released by Reagan chief-of-staff Joanne Drake. The former first lady broke the news to her husband at their Bel-Air home.
The flag was lowered to half-staff at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library shortly after her death was announced.
A public memorial service and Mass was scheduled for 10 a.m. Aug. 18 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Sacramento, followed by a private graveside service. Mrs. Reagan planned to attend the funeral, Drake said.