You chipped my birdbath now youre gonna pay not so fast i cover more than just cars and trucks. Action flo did somebody say insurance . Children flo action flo cut can i get a smoothie, please . Ooh they got smoothies . For me. Hello. Im chris jansing. We continue our breaking News Coverage on the death of former first Lady Nancy Reagan, the widow of president Ronald Reagan was 94 years old. She died from congestive heart failure. Nbcs lester holt looks at the life of the former first lady. Nancy davis met Ronald Reagan on the mgm lot in 1949. He was already a star. Though she had her own hollywood dreams she said she found her greatest role as his wife. I think i was born to be married. I was the happiest girl in the world when i became we. Reporter they married in 1952, a simple ceremony and appeared together in hellcats of the navy. You knew better. How could i know . Did you give me a post dated check . Reporter from them on by her own description her life was devoted to her husband as mother to their two children and as step mother to his two children by former wife then came politics and her long career as a first lady. First in california to governor Ronald Reagan in 1966. What is ronnies greatest asset for the women voters . Just being ronnie, i guess. Reporter then to president reagan in 1980. After the president was shot by a wouldbe assassin just two months into his first term his wife was forever shaken. Every time he went out and talked to thousands of people my heart stopped. Reporter she carried on steadfast in her chosen roles as the president s protector, best friend and partner in efforts like the antidrug campaign for which she was forever linked. When it comes to drugs and alcohol, just say no. Reporter she was criticized for consulting an astrologer about the president s schedule, dubbed queen nancy for expensive tastes in fashion and accused of managing her husband. Doing everything we can. Reporter the fact is she never wavered as a loving wife and in the mid 90s the former president anonsed he was diagnosed with alzheimers disease the partner visited the Republican National convention to share the familys pain. We learned as too many other families learned of the terrible pain and loneliness as each day brings another reminder of this very long good bye. Nancy, let me say thank you for all you do, thank you for your love and thank you for just being you. Reporter she stayed close to her ronnie even in her last years. She made it a point to be there when the Reagan Library hosted Election Year debates and to visit her husbands resting place, a love story to the very end. Lester holt, nbc news. And mrs. Reagan will be buried at the Ronald Reagan president ial library next to her husband. Prior to the Funeral Service there will be an opportunity for members of the public to pay their respects. Lets go to Kelly Odonnell at the white house. She covered the reagans where the president and first lady released a statement about nancy reagan. One thing about being a president or first lady or former is that it is a very small exclusive club. They all at one time or another know each other but understand what they have been through. What did the president and first lady have to say . Reporter this is definitely a personal reflection in their statement about the passing of mrs. Reagan and adds a little dimension about what you are talking about the relationship. The president and first lady say nancy reagan once wrote that nothing could prepare you for living in the white house. She was right, of course. We had a head start because we were fortunate to benefit from her proud example and her warm and generous advice. They say our former first lady redefined the role in her time here later in her long good bye with president reagan became a voice on behalf of millions going through the reality of alzheimers and took on a new public role as advocate on behalf of treatments that hold potential and promise to improve and save lives. We offer our sincere condolences to their children and grandchildren. We remain grateful for Nancy Reagans life, her guidance and prayerful that she and her beloved husband are together again. In so many statement is people have commented on the spiritual side of hoping that president reagan and mrs. Reagan are somehow together again now. That is so much a reflection of how public their coupledom was, the strength of their bond as husband and wife was evident during their years in public life and evident in the way they lived post presidency in some ways public and other ways behind the veil of that long good bye that we had been talking about with the alzheimers that was a slow, long difficult process for the reagan family. It was so gripping to see back in 2004, i believe, when president reagan passed, mrs. Reagan sort of embracing the casket. That sort of cut through the heart of america. People could feel the pain that she was feeling and reminding everyone that these public figures and political figures are also personal family members, a husband, a father and in that moment she allowed the country into her own personal grief. A very indelible memory. When a lot of her grief was not quite as raw i got to see mrs. Reagan at the u. S. Capital for the presentation of a statue in president race eagans honor. The last time she had been there was when he was lying in state as part of a multi day remembererance. She was greeted by so many people who had been part of the Reagan Administration and then current lawmakers. I talked to the artist who created the statue that is in the u. S. Capital and there is a replica in their libery. Said she was so particular about wanting the image of president reagan to be as she remembered it and so she made a suggestion to the artist related to the suit coat as depicted on the statue that he did not have a break in the back of his suit coat. So it would hang differently. And she was so particular about that wanting it to be perfect. That is a sign of the relationship, the details and how important it was for her that what would remain long after she and the president were gone would be as accurate as she could help make it come to be. Thank you so much for that. I want to go to nbcs joe friar outside the Reagan Library. Good to see you. They issued a statement earlier today confirming the death. She was without a doubt an integral part of everything that happened at that library. It was key for her to preserving his legacy. Reporter absolutely. The library was a huge part of her life over the past 12 years since Ronald Reagan passed away. The library would typically be open right now on a sunday morning but it is temporarily closed as the foundation figures out how it will move forward with memorials and how to handle the media. That is not stopping a number of people from showing up. A line of cars being redirected around the culdesac and back down. A number of people want to come here to pay respects. Just a few moments ago we saw a father bring his many Young Children walking up the hill. A few kids were carrying small american flags. He told me he wanted them to pay their respects to learn more about nancy reagan. They are not able to get into the library but perhaps later. He says they brought flowers and left those flowers at a sign farther down the hill and apparently that is what a lot of people are doing leaving them at a sign coming into the entry way here. In lieu of flowers the agency is asking for contributions to the library and reagan foundation. We saw a man simply standing on the side of the road as people pulled up and holding an american flag. His hat said he was a veteran and he said he was here to show rptd to his commander in chief and the former first lady. A lot of people are coming here to pay respects to memorialize nancy reagan and we should know more exactly how that is going to work here at the library as the foundation tries to cement the plans including funeral arrangements. Nancy reagan will be buried next to her husband here at the library. Thank you so much. In many places that are so beautiful in california there is no doubt that that president ial library has one of the most spectacular vantage points and it is a fantastic library. President ial historian and msnbc contributor. How are you doing . How are you . Lets start with talking about her as first lady because we just heard about president and mrs. Obama issuing a statement about how she redefined the role. Tell us about those eight years and what nancy reagan meant to the reagan presidency . To begin with in 1981 was a very different time from now. The idea of first lady who was out there known to be very much involved in her husbands career a lot of people were not happy about that. Roseland carter would attend cabinet meetings. She had been so much of a collaborator in her husbands political career for years that it was out of the question that she would not be centrally involved. What you saw during the 1980s was her in a delicate graceful way saying this is Ronald Reagan who is president , not me. At the same time especially moments of crisis she would move in. In 1987 the iran contra episode, the controversy over trading arms for hostages and diverting proceeds to rebels she thought that was a danger to her husbands presidency. She moved in, had a lot of influence over the firing of her husbands then chief of staff and other changes that helped to revive that presidency and particularly to say now lets concentrate energies on a central accomplishment with which he can close out his presidency and that was to get the ducks in a row for the end of the cold war so that by the time thats and nancy flew back to california january of 1989 it was a very great prospect that the cold war would soon be over. 1981 that would have seemed almost impossible. In a post president ial sense she was very key in shaping, preserving his legacy much in the same way that Jacqueline Kennedy made it such a priority for her after her husbands assassination to shape his legacy. Also, defined essentially a political role for herself whether alzheimers or breaking with the current president for support of embryonic Stem Cell Research. She was independently a voice in the republican party. She did. You are so right to bring up kennedy with whom she had something of a relationship after assassination attempt against president reagan she reached out and had an experience that was very close to that. She was a comfort to her and Jacqueline Kennedy and nancy reagan together raised money for the john f. Kennedy library later in the 1980s and were able to provide some comfort to nancy reagan. And the one thing i think we have to really remember is that for someone especially who had that childhood that nancy reagan had had to go through the experience of having her husband nearly assassinated in 1981 as she much later said she never went through essentially an hour in which she was not worried that that would happen again. For any of the critics who question whether this was a first lady who gave her husband unconditional love, only a few years after they went back to california came the farewell letter, november of 94 in which Ronald Reagan said to the American Public that he had alzheimers. So basically the last years of Ronald Reagans life and it was essentially in many ways a hellish period. I remember talking to her a couple years ago and i said are you getting to travel very much. She said no i want to stay here in the house in los angeles because it makes me feel closer to ronnie. And she used to if there was any complaint that she had she would get frustrated that he was so relentlessly optimistic even at times of crisis in the white house. Would he have been a different president if not for nancy reagan . Very much so. Looking at this as a marriage i think hat is why they were so great with each other because i think nancy reagan to a great extent largely because of her early life experiences, she would focus on the people who were there that might do you in and be a threat to ronnie. Ronald reagan on the other hand was so famously optimistic that he was a very good influence on her. So as a marriage this really worked and it certainly worked as a Political Partnership. When people reflect on her over the coming days, what will be the main thing that you think nancy reagan will be remembered for . I think what she should be remembered for is not as a first lady which people tend to think looking back over American History is someone dedicate today ceremony, but someone who had a big influence not only on her husband becoming president but being such a successful one. The other thing i think is she was so devoted to making sure the presidency and president were presented in a way to cause americans to be respectful. The other night during the Republican Debate i remember watching it and i wastually thinking if nancy reagan is watching this what must she be thinking about the level of dialogue. My guess is she would be horrified. My hope is to take a breath and maybe we should return to that. There is never a lack of spirited political dialogue in that household with their two children. Ron for a time worked with us here at msnbc. Our sympathy goes out to the family for the loss of nancy reagan. There is a lot of reaction coming in from the campaign trail. We will continue our coverage of the death of former first Lady Nancy Reagan. vo you can check on them. You can worry about them. You can even choose a car for them. mom honey, are you ok . child im ok. announcer vo love. mom were ok. announcer vo its what makes a subaru, a subaru. As we age, certain nutrients longer than ever. Become especially important. From the makers of one a day fiftyplus. One a day proactive sixtyfive plus. With high potency vitamin b12 and more vitamin d. Is it keeps the food out. For me before those little pieces would get in between my dentures and my gum and it was uncomfortable. Just a few dabs is clinically proven to seal out more food particles. Super poligrip is part of my life now. In my business i cbailing me out my i. All the time. Im not the i. T. Guy. Im the desktop support tech supervisor. And my customers knowing right when their packages arrive. Introducing realtime delivery notifications. Learn more at myusps. Com were always looking for ways to speed up your Car Insurance search. Heres the latest. Problem is, we havent figured out how to reverse it. For now, just log on to compare. Com. Plug in some simple info and get up to 50 free quotes. Choose the lowest and hit purchase. Now. If youll excuse me, im late for an important function. Compare. Com. Saving humanity from high insurance rates. We continue our coverage of the death of former first Lady Nancy Reagan as we look at some of the pictures of the many years that they became so much a part of american lives both on the political stage and afterwards off the political stage. For nancy reagan, there they are at inauguration before and after the death of her husband. And so central is he to republican conversations if you are out on the campaign trail you hear him talked about all the time. His legacy remains so iconic. I want to bring in Hallie Jackson who has been on the campaign trail throughout and has more on the reaction from washington and across the campaign trail. You are right. The legacy of Ronald Reagan has been so central to the candidates on the trail and Nancy Reagans legacy and her life so central to Ronald Reagan. You see reaction coming in from president ial candidates. Ted cruz tweeting that she will be remembered for deep passion for this nation and her love for her husband. Donald trump also sending out a message calling her an amazing woman. John kasich, marco rubio reacting. Rubio with personal memories talking about how he and nancy reagan met at the Reagan Library talking about how warm she was and how sorely missed she will be emphasizing her legacy as a link to her husband. John kasich talking about her being a woman of grace and strength thmpt common theme in these statements and reaction that we are getting, the deep love that she had for her husband and i think john mccain said it best saying i will remember her as a dear friend and patriot. As one half of a love story that hollywood couldnt have written any better. The reaction is bipartisan. You are hearing from democrats talking about her work with Stem Cell Research and remembering her policy developments and what she did on the policy side for her husband. Just so much reaction coming in. You are hearing from former president george w. Bush talking about how nancy reagan embodies what it meant to represent america as a first lady so much reflecting on who she was, how warm she was. You are seeing that from Reince Priebus on screen. You hear the word warm over and over again and the theme of the love that she had for her husband and the relationship, how strong it was and how central it was to her and how we will remember her moving on. Thank you very much Hallie Jackson in washington. I want to bring in historian and director of lbj library, the author of the book second ax, president ial lives and legacies after the white house. He met with nancy reagan while writing that book. When you have someone so familiar, who is so much on the public stage you must go into an interview like that with p preconceived ideas. How did you find her and how was it different from the nancy reagan you saw on television . Her husband was ailing from alzheimers and he was truly the love of her life. I think people talked about her abiding love for her husband one thing that missed is she saw his capacity for greatness and she did absolutely everything she could in order to ensure that he had a po