‘Wonderful Inspiration’: Adopted Son of Ronald Reagan Dies at 80

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Michael Reagan, a conservative commentator and the eldest son of President Ronald Reagan, died Sunday in Los Angeles of cancer at age 80.

“Michael was and will always remain a beloved husband, father, and grandpa,” read a statement from his family. “Our hearts are deeply broken as we grieve the loss of a man who meant so much to all who knew and loved him.”

Scott Walker, former Wisconsin governor and president of Young America’s Foundation, called Reagan “such a wonderful inspiration to many of us.”

Reagan spoke at Young America’s Foundation programs at the Reagan Ranch, President Ronald Reagan’s “Western White House,” which the foundation acquired in 1998.

“He did so much more than share stories about his father,” Walker said in a statement Tuesday. “He challenged the next generation to share the values he stood for throughout his public life. He called on them to be happy warriors in the battle to uphold the founding principles of our republic.”

Walker also noted that Reagan and his daughter, Ashley, headlined in 2000 the first program YAF hosted in Dixon, Illinois, at Ronald Reagan’s boyhood home.

The former Wisconsin governor said he last spoke with Reagan on Dec. 22, when they discussed Reagan’s health struggles but also mentioned his faith.

Michael Reagan was born John Charles Flaugher on March 18, 1945, but Ronald Reagan and his first wife, actress Jane Wyman, adopted him shortly after his birth.

Unlike his more left-leaning half-siblings Patti Davis and Ron Reagan (children of the president and his second wife, Nancy), Michael Reagan stood by his adopted father’s conservative principles.

His sister, Maureen Reagan, who died in 2001, also remained conservative, becoming co-chair of the Republican National Committee.

While Michael Reagan embraced his father’s legacy—and wrote a book calling for a new “Reagan Revolution” in 2011—he wrote two memoirs about his struggles growing up: “Michael Reagan: On the Outside Looking in,” and “Twice Adopted.” The latter was a reference to his adoption by Ronald Reagan and his “second adoption” in embracing the Christian gospel.

While Michael Reagan initially opposed Donald Trump’s candidacy in 2016, he praised Trump for having “made the GOP great again” in 2024.

Michael Reagan championed an aggressive conservatism, faulting the Trump administration for lackluster deportation numbers and criticizing House Republicans for what he saw as insufficient seriousness in combatting fraud in Minnesota.

One of his final columns also claimed that New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration gave his Hizzoner’s socialist supporters a “preview to hell.”

Reagan is survived by his wife, Colleen Reagan, his son, Cameron Reagan, and his daughter, Ashley Reagan Dunster.