Ronald Reagan turns 90

Nancy Reagan details husband's condition

February 6, 2001
Web posted at: 5:38 p.m. EST (2238 GMT)

In this story: An elite group Recovering from hip surgery Reagan 'as he was' RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

LOS ANGELES, California -- Former president Ronald Reagan was spending his 90th birthday Tuesday at home with his wife, Nancy, who says her husband has "had an incredible life."

RESOURCES Transcript: Nancy Reagan on 'Larry King Live' CNN Programs: Larry King Live     ALSO Essay: Reagan still resilient after 90 years     CHAT TRANSCRIPT Author James Spada on his new pictorial biography of former President Ronald Reagan     MESSAGE BOARD The Reagan years

"I mean, sports announcer, pictures, governor, president. It's incredible," Nancy Reagan told CNN's Larry King in an interview scheduled for broadcast Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST.

Reagan's birthday was to be a subdued celebration at the former president's Bel-Air, California, home, where he is recovering from surgery to repair the hip he broke January 12 in a fall, the former first lady said.

Only two other U.S. presidents have reached 90 -- John Adams and Herbert Hoover.

"He looks fine. I mean, you know, his skin, and he's got a full head of hair. ... I mean, when the barber comes to cut his hair, he has to thin it!" Mrs. Reagan told King.

The nation's 40th president had been in retirement for five years when he learned he had Alzheimer's. Mrs. Reagan, his wife of nearly 49 years, has vigilantly guarded his privacy since he withdrew from public view on November 5, 1994, with a poignant open letter about his Alzheimer's diagnosis.

"I only wish there was some way I could spare Nancy from this painful experience," he wrote.

Nancy Reagan is interviewed by CNN's Larry King

King asked the former first lady whether the couple still has discussions. "We, no. You can't," she said.

"It's sad to see somebody you love and have been married for so long (with Alzheimer's) and you can't share memories. That's the sad part," Mrs. Reagan said.

When King suggested that there are hospitals set up to treat Alzheimer's patients, she responded: "Oh, no. Oh, no. Never. Never. No, no. He's going to stay at home."

Mrs. Reagan also said that her husband could live to be 100 years old because "everything else" is fine.

She dismissed as ridiculous a recent supermarket tabloid report claiming the president broke his hip last month when he tried to stand and salute after hearing a gardener whistling "America the Beautiful."

"The doctors tell me that his hip appears to have broken when he put weight on the leg in a somewhat twisted position and this is what caused him to fall," Mrs. Reagan said.

A pin, plate and screws were used to repair the hip and he was able to go home a week after surgery.

"I think Ronnie would want people to remember him as he was," Mrs. Reagan said.

The Reagan legacy has prompted several biographies, including "Ronald Reagan: His life in pictures," by James Spada.

"He was a very handsome matinee idol," Spada told CNN. "I like to say that Reagan was successful in everything that he tried in his life. I mean, he succeeded in so many things that people aspired to and he made it."

The former Hollywood actor and California governor was first elected president in 1980 and served two terms. He led a conservative revolution that transformed the face of American politics and became the first president since Dwight Eisenhower to serve two full terms.

Reagan survived a 1981 assassination attempt that put a bullet near his heart, a 1985 colon cancer operation and a 1987 prostate and skin-cancer surgery.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Former first lady says Reagans repaid Bel Air home with interest
January 28, 2001

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