Michael Reagan obit

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

 He was not on the list.

We were saddened to learn that Michael Reagan, a founding Newsmax Analyst on our network and a columnist for Newsmax.com, passed away. Michael, the eldest son of President Ronald Reagan and the late Jane Wyman, was a noted commentator, syndicated radio host and bestselling author.

In a statement, Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy said:

"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. Michael approached everything he did with extraordinary enthusiasm and energy. He deeply loved his family and his country.

We at Newsmax will miss him greatly and will never forget the role he played in helping build Newsmax into one of the nation's newest and most influential media outlets. The Reagan family has lost a devoted husband and father, America has lost a great patriot, and I have lost a dear friend.

May God hold him close to His heart. Rest in peace, Michael Reagan."

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.

He was the adopted son of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan and his first wife, actress Jane Wyman. He worked as a columnist for Newsmax.

Reagan was expelled from Loyola High School after a short period at the school and in 1964, he graduated from the Judson School, a boarding school outside of Scottsdale, Arizona. He attended Arizona State University for less than one semester and Los Angeles Valley College but never graduated.

In 1965, the FBI warned Ronald Reagan that in the course of an organized crime investigation it had discovered that Michael was associated with the son of crime boss Joseph Bonanno, which would have become a campaign issue had it been publicly known. Reagan thanked the FBI and said he would tell his son to discreetly discontinue the association.

Sometime before September 1970, Reagan was working as a salesman for the clothing company Hart, Schaffner, & Marx. He then became a director of special events catering at Michaelson Food Service Company in Los Angeles. In 1981, Reagan was hired as a salesman for Industrial Circuits, a circuit board company owned by Robert Herring Sr.

Reagan had small roles in movies and television shows beginning in 1985, including Falcon Crest, which starred his mother, Jane Wyman.

In 1987, Reagan served as the host for the first season of the television game show Lingo.

His work in talk radio started in the Southern California local market as a guest host for radio commentator Michael Jackson's talk radio show slot on KABC in Los Angeles. After this beginning, he landed a talk show spot on KSDO radio in San Diego.

Reagan also hosted The Michael Reagan Show nationwide for most of the 2000s. The show was variously syndicated on Premiere Networks and Radio America. After that, he focused on public speaking about his father.

In 1988, he wrote, with Joe Hyams, an autobiography, Michael Reagan: On the Outside Looking In. He also wrote that he was sexually abused at the age of seven by a camp counselor.

In 2005, he wrote Twice Adopted about his feelings of rejection being adopted, parents divorcing and becoming a born-again Christian.

In June 2008, Mark Dice launched a campaign urging people to send letters and DVDs to US troops stationed in Iraq which support the theory that the September 11 attacks were an "inside job". "Operation Inform the Soldiers", as Dice has called it, prompted Reagan to comment that Dice should be executed for treason. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, a liberal/progressive media criticism organization, asked Radio America at the time to explain whether it permits "its hosts to call for murder on the air".

In 2016, Reagan said he would not vote for Trump and endorsed Ted Cruz in the primary. Later he said via X (formerly Twitter) that he voted Trump in 2020 and 2024 election. In 2025, he defended the Trump tariffs.

In June 1971, Reagan married Pamela Gail Putnam (born 1952), daughter of Duane Putnam, former Atlanta Falcons football line coach. The couple divorced in 1972.

Reagan married Colleen Sterns, an interior decorator, in 1975 at The Church on the Way. They had two children, Cameron and Ashley. Reagan and his wife lived in the Toluca Lake area of Los Angeles.

In January 2011, he called his adoptive brother Ron Reagan, the biological son of Ronald Reagan and his second wife, Nancy Reagan, "an embarrassment" for speculating in a memoir that their father suffered from Alzheimer's disease while president.

Michael and his sister Maureen, unlike their more liberal half-siblings Patti and Ron, agreed more with their father's conservative political views.

Actor

Brad Paisley in Brad Paisley: When I Get Where I'm Going (2005)

Brad Paisley: When I Get Where I'm Going

6.5

Music Video

Michael Reagan

2005

 

Heather Thomas in Cyclone (1987)

Cyclone

4.4

McCordy

1987

 

Falcon Crest (1981)

Falcon Crest

6.2

TV Series

Concierge

1987

5 episodes

 

Capitol (1982)

Capitol

7.0

TV Series

Peter Elliott (1985)

1982–1987

 

Producer

Heroes of World War II: The European Campaign (2017)

Heroes of World War II: The European Campaign

executive producer

2017