LOS ANGELES \u2014 Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Ronald Reagan and a conservative commentator, has died. He was 80.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute announced his death in a post on the social platform X on Tuesday, calling him \u201ca steadfast guardian of his father\u2019s legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMichael Reagan lived a life shaped by conviction, purpose, and an abiding devotion to President Reagan\u2019s ideals,\u201d the foundation said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His cause of death was not immediately announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reagan was a contributor to the conservative Newsmax television network and was known for his talk radio program, \u201cThe Michael Reagan Show.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reagan was born to Irene Flaugher in 1945 and adopted just hours after his birth by Ronald Reagan and his then-wife, actor Jane Wyman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The young Reagan followed in his parents\u2019 footsteps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After attending Arizona State University and Los Angeles Valley College, Reagan took up acting, playing in television shows including \u201cFalcon Crest,\u201d and he spent nearly two decades as a conservative radio talk show host, speaking of politics and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In two autobiographical books titled \u201cOn the Outside Looking in\u201d and \u201cTwice Adopted,\u201d he told of, at times, a difficult childhood, which included coming to terms with his adoption and his journey of faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reagan penned several others, including \u201cLessons My Father Taught Me\u201d published in 2016, where he detailed lessons learned growing up the son of Ronald Reagan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throughout his life, Reagan raised money and worked for charities, using powerboat racing as a means of fundraising for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Statue of Liberty Restoration Fund. Reagan sat on the advisory board for Mixed Roots Foundation, which focuses on the foster care and adoption in the U.S. and globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reagan served as chair of the John Douglas French Alzheimer\u2019s Foundation board for three years, working on the same disease his father succumbed to in 2004.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As president and chair of the Reagan Legacy Foundation, he championed the legacy of his father. The conservative former president was known for trying to scale back government and devoting his presidency to winning the Cold War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Michael Reagan\u2019s second and decades-long marriage was to his wife Colleen, with whom he had two children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n