Grief and relief for Nancy
2004-06-07 07:26
Los Angeles - Fomer US first lady Nancy Reagan felt a "sense of relief" when Ronald Reagan died after a tough 10-year battle with Alzheimer's disease, a family spokesperson said on Sunday.
"While it is an extremely sad time for Mrs Reagan, there is defintely a sense of relief that he is no longer suffering and that he has gone to another place," said his chief of staff Joanne Drake.
Nancy Reagan, 82, who, like her husband of more than 50 years, is a former Hollywood star, had for years fiercely protected her husband's dignity, refusing to discuss the extent to which Alzheimer's has ravaged him.
People magazine quoted sources close to the family as saying that she spent most of her time by his bedside and that even their closest friends had been barred from seeing him.
Reagan, the 40th US president and longest-living leader, marked his 93rd birthday in February.
- AFP