The 40th president died quietly at his California home at 1:09 p.m. PDT (4:09 p.m. EDT), with his

The 40th president died quietly at his California home at 1:09 p.m. PDT (4:09 p.m. EDT), with his wife, Nancy, and other family members nearby. His passing brought an international outpouring of tributes from friends and former adversaries.
"A great American life has come to an end," President Bush told reporters in France, where he planned to mark the 60th anniversary of the D-Day invasion today.
"He leaves behind a nation he restored and a world he helped save. During the years of President Reagan, America laid to rest an era of division and self-doubt. And because of his leadership, the world laid to rest an era of fear and tyranny."
Initial plans call for Reagan's remains to lie for a day at his presidential library in Simi Valley, then travel by Air Force One to Washington, where he will lie in state in the Capitol rotunda.
At midweek, probably Wednesday, there will be a funeral procession with horse-drawn caisson from the Capitol to a spot near the White House.
From there, a hearse will carry the coffin to Washington National Cathedral for a funeral officiated by the newly named ambassador to the United Nations, John C. Danforth, an Episcopalian minister and a former Republican senator from Missouri.
The body will then be flown back to California to be buried at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.
His attitude
The leader who convinced a nation that it was "morning again in America" spent his last years in the long twilight of a disease that slowly dimmed his ability to function. Reagan revealed his Alzheimer's diagnosis Nov. 5, 1994, five years after leaving the White House.
"When the Lord calls me home, whenever that may be," he wrote with a shaky hand, "I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future. I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead."
Nancy Reagan, who said last month that Alzheimer's had taken her husband "to a distant place where I can no longer reach him," announced his death in a brief statement.
"My family and I would like the world to know President Ronald Reagan has passed away," she said.
It was the end of a storybook life, an all-American tale more colorful than any of the 53 movies he starred in before entering politics.
Born poor but blessed with a magnetic personality, he succeeded at almost everything he ever tried -- sports, acting, politics -- before twice winning election as president of the United States. He shaped his times more than all but a few presidents in history and he remains the most beloved since John F. Kennedy.
Even Reagan's political opponents found it hard not to like him. A ruggedly handsome man who looked as good in a cowboy hat and dungarees as in a tuxedo, he exuded sunny optimism.
Loved to smile
He loved to smile and tell jokes. His dad nicknamed him "Dutch." The Secret Service called him "Rawhide." His easy, avuncular manner and his warm, husky voice helped persuade people to trust and believe in him.
Reagan's political success stemmed from a combination of enormous personal charm and rock-hard convictions.
He stood for clear, firm principles -- individual liberty, small government, free markets, low taxes, anti-communism and military strength.
He presented his views with such selfless, patriotic sincerity that even many who disagreed nonetheless respected and admired him.
Born in 1911, raised in several small Illinois towns, Reagan turned a Depression-era radio sports-announcing job into a springboard to Hollywood fame and fortune.
After a successful quarter-century career in movies and on television, at age 53 he turned his energies to politics full time and quickly became the inspirational leader of conservative Republicans nationwide.
After two terms as California's governor from 1967 to 1975, Reagan, at age 69, in 1980 became the oldest man elected president, America's 40th. Four years later, he swept to a landslide re-election, winning 49 of 50 states.
He left office in 1989 with the highest public approval rating -- 63 percent in the Gallup poll -- of any departing president since Franklin D. Roosevelt's death in 1945.
Mixed legacy
History records a mixed legacy from Reagan's presidency. He cut taxes and spending sharply upon taking power, but by the time he left office, the government was bigger and spent more than ever -- and the national debt had tripled.
He calmly counseled patience through the nation's worst recession since the 1930s, then presided over one of the richest periods of prosperity in history but did little to shrink the growing gap between rich and poor.
He greatly strengthened the military, then helped end the Cold War by boldly striking agreements with the Soviet Union to reduce nuclear arsenals for the first time.
Reagan's greatest achievements, however, arguably were symbolic, perhaps even spiritual. He renewed the American spirit of can-do optimism after almost 20 years of doldrums from Vietnam, Watergate, economic stagnation and weak leadership.
He reinvigorated the Republican Party and led it to an era of dominance, as his conservative values reshaped American politics. Democrats could not win the presidency again until Bill Clinton amended liberal ideology in 1992 to echo such Reaganesque themes as cutting taxes, fighting crime, reforming welfare and shrinking government.
"Over time, he converted much of the country to his own views and values. His more important legacy is how much he changed our minds," suggested David Gergen, formerly Reagan's communications director.
His physical resilience was legendary. He survived a 1981 assassination attempt, a 1985 colon cancer operation and 1987 prostate and skin-cancer surgery.
"Honey, I forgot to duck," he told his wife with characteristic humor after John Hinckley Jr. shot a bullet into his chest outside the Washington Hilton Hotel.
His skills
He earned the nickname "the Great Communicator," and his persuasive skills were beyond dispute. His Hollywood training obviously helped, but he also felt an instinctive bond with ordinary people that informed his ability to reach them as both actor and politician.
But he usually spoke from notes on cue cards, even in small-group settings. And his masterful public leadership was not matched by managerial prowess.
Both as governor and as president, Reagan was highly dependent upon his staff, to whom he delegated an unusual degree of responsibility for running the government.
He set the broad thematic agenda and made the big decisions, but he knew little detail of the government he headed and often didn't bother to find out much about it.
When Reagan's staff functioned well, as was typical through his first term, his presidency tended to succeed.