Ronald Reagan’s eldest son, Michael, dies at 80
FILE - Michael Reagan, the son of former President Ronald Reagan, introduces Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich during a campaign stop, Jan. 30, 2012, in Pensacola, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Ronald Reagan and a conservative commentator, has died. He was 80.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute announced his death in a post on the social platform X on Tuesday, calling him “a steadfast guardian of his father’s legacy.”
His cause of death was not immediately announced.
“Our hearts are deeply broken as we grieve the loss of a man who meant so much to all who knew and loved him,” his wife, Colleen Reagan, and two children, Cameron Reagan and Ashley Reagan Dunster, wrote in a statement.
Reagan was a contributor to the conservative Newsmax television network and was known for his talk radio program, “The Michael Reagan Show.”
Born to Irene Flaugher in 1945, Reagan was adopted just hours after his birth by Ronald Reagan and his then-wife, actor Jane Wyman.
The young Reagan followed in his parents’ footsteps.
After attending Arizona State University and Los Angeles Valley College, Reagan took up acting, playing in television shows including “Falcon Crest,” and he spent nearly two decades as a conservative radio talk show host, speaking of politics and culture.
Reagan penned several books, including “Lessons My Father Taught Me” published in 2016, where he detailed lessons learned growing up the son of Ronald Reagan.