Former first lady Nancy Reagan died Sunday at her Los Angeles home. The widow of President Ronald Reagan was 94.
Here are a few things you may not have known about the former first lady.
1. She was born Anne Frances Robbins. Nancy was her childhood nickname.
2. She was adopted at the age of 16 by her stepfather, Dr. Loyal Davis.
3. She was an actress when she met then-actor Ronald Reagan. She left acting after she married Reagan.
4. She was friends with Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe.
5. Her signature color was red.
6. She and her husband wrote love letters to each other throughout their marriage, up until the time President Reagan began to suffer from the effects of Alzheimer's disease.
7. Nancy Reagan became known as the person who managed her husband’s schedule during his presidency, and, to an extent no one is quite sure, offered advice on domestic and foreign affairs. A book by Donald Regan, Ronald Reagan’s first chief of staff, claimed she did so after consulting with astronomers.
8. Regan believed he was fired as chief of staff on the advice of Nancy Reagan.
>>Photos: Nancy Reagan through the years
9. She was a strong supporter of the Foster Grandparents program.
10. She was roundly criticized for her spending while her husband was president. Everything from her gowns – which were donated to her -- to the infamous purchase of a new set of china for the White House.
11. She was the spokesman for the “Just Say No,” anti-drug and alcohol abuse program.
12. In October of 1987, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Click here for an online guest book where you can leave comments and condolences on the passing of Nancy Reagan.
Sources: PBS "Amerian Experience; NPR, CNN
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