Michael Reagan, President Ronald Reagan eldest son, dies at 80

Michael Reagan, the eldest son of former President Ronald Reagan, died at the age of 80, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute announced Jan. 6.

A separate statement from the Reagan family, shared by former Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker on X, noted that he died Jan. 4 in Los Angeles “surrounded by his entire family.”

Fred Ryan, the foundation’s chairman, called him a “steadfast guardian of his father’s legacy,” in the news release.

“Michael used his voice to champion freedom, personal responsibility, and the principles that defined his father’s presidency,” Ryan said. “Yet beyond his professional accomplishments, Michael was, above all, a devoted son and a deeply loyal friend to the Reagan Foundation and Institute.”

Reagan was a founding analyst and columnist for the conservative news network Newsmax, according to a statement from the network.

“Michael Reagan was far more than a political commentator. He was the living embodiment of his father’s legacy, and throughout his life he worked tirelessly to carry forward Ronald Reagan’s torch for freedom, family, and faith,” Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy said.

The eldest Reagan son was born John Charles Flaugher. When he was adopted hours following his birth, he was renamed by his father and his first wife, actress Jane Wyman, according to the Associated Press.

A cause of death was not immediately provided.