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WASHINGTON, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. first lady Nancy Reagan passed away at the age of 94 on Sunday morning in her Los Angeles home, according to her office.

 

Former first lady Nancy Reagan waits to greet Republican presidential candidates in a replica of the Oval Office at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, before the Reagan Centennial GOP presidential primary debate in Simi Valley, California September 7, 2011. (REUTERS/Chris Carlson)

 

Former first lady Nancy Reagan waits to greet Republican presidential candidates in a replica of the Oval Office at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, before the Reagan Centennial GOP presidential primary debate in Simi Valley, California September 7, 2011. (REUTERS/Chris Carlson)

 

A statement issued by her office said the former first lady died of congestive heart failure, and she would be buried at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California next to her husband, Ronald Wilson Reagan, who died in June, 2004.

 

"Prior to the funeral service, there will be an opportunity for members of the public to pay their respects at the library," said the statement.

 

The White House, in a statement in the wake of Nancy's death, praised her on Sunday for her role in advancing Alzheimer's research.

 

"Later, in her long goodbye with President Reagan, she became a voice on behalf of millions of families going through the depleting, aching reality of Alzheimer's, and took on a new role, as advocate, on behalf of treatments that hold the potential and the promise to improve and save lives," said the statement.

 

After her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1994, Mrs. Reagan became an advocate for Alzheimer's research.

 

Born in New York City, Nancy Reagan came to fame in the 1940s and 1950s during her acting career in Hollywood. She and Ronald Reagan were married in 1952.

 

During Reagan's presidency from 1981 to 1989, the former first lady was well-known for her clout with her husband and for bringing a lavish lifestyle to the White House in a time of recession, making her one of the most influential and controversial first ladies in U.S. history.

 

During her White House years, Mrs. Reagan's most famous initiative was a major anti-drug campaign known as "Just say no."