Nancy Reagan: from actress to First Lady – in pictures

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Nancy Reagan, the widow of US president Ronald, has died aged 94. She passed away at her home in Bel Air, California, of congestive heart failure, announced the Reagan Library.

"Nancy is where she has always wanted to be, with her Ronnie... Now she is at peace," said her stepson, Michael.

US President Barack Obama has led the tributes, saying: "Nancy Reagan once wrote that nothing could prepare you for living in the White House. She was right, of course, but we had a head start because we were fortunate to benefit from her proud example and her warm and generous advice. Our former first lady redefined the role in her time here."

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Commentators have noted the substantial impact Reagan left on both the US and the world, as well as the deep love she shared with her late husband.

She may best be remembered for three words: "Just say no," which became "the motto of her years-long anti-drug crusade", says USA Today. By the end of her husband's time in office in 1989, more than 12,000 Just Say No clubs had been formed across the world.

However, during the early years of her husband's presidency, Regan was viewed as something of a liability to the Oval Office.

"She spent lavishly on redecorating the White House and hosting glittering parties at a time when the country was struggling through a recession marked by both high inflation and unemployment," adds USA Today. Among the extravagant purchases was a $200,000 (£140,000) set of china, bordered in red – her signature colour.

Nevertheless, Regan went on to become one of the most influential first ladies in US political history and played a large role in many of her husband's political decisions, from hiring and firing within the White House to influencing diplomatic relations.

She will be buried beside her husband at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.