Former US First Lady Ford dead

Former US First Lady Betty Ford, who turned her battles with two devastating illnesses -- breast cancer and drug and alcohol addiction -- into triumphs, has died at the age of 93, media reports said. The widow of president Gerald Ford, who also campaigned for breast cancer awareness and was outspoken on women's rights issues, had lived in California since her husband's death in 2006. "I was deeply saddened... when I heard of Betty Ford's death. She has been an inspiration to so many through her efforts to educate women about breast cancer and her wonderful work at the Betty Ford Center," said Nancy Reagan. "She was Jerry Ford's strength through some very difficult days in our country’s history, and I admired her courage in facing and sharing her personal struggles with all of us," added Reagan, who also lives in California. Ford died Friday evening with family at her bedside, according to a family member cited by CNN. Former president George H.W. Bush said he and his wife Barbara "loved Betty Ford very much." "She was a wonderful wife and mother; a great friend; and a courageous First Lady. No one confronted life's struggles with more fortitude or honesty, and as a result, we all learned from the challenges she faced. "The Betty Ford Center, which already has helped change the lives of thousands of people, will be her lasting legacy of care and concern. We were proud to know her... We will miss her very much." Elizabeth "Betty" Ford turned her battles with two devastating illnesses -- breast cancer and drug and alcohol addiction -- into triumph as she overcame them and went on to help others follow suit. Speaking openly about her fight with breast cancer and her dependence on prescription drugs and alcohol, Ford removed much of the stigma attached to both illnesses and aided others who were battling the same demons. She notably helped create the renowned Betty Ford Center for alcohol and drug rehabilitation in Rancho Mirage, California, where tens of thousands have been treated since 1982. Born Elizabeth Ann Bloomer on April 8, 1918 in Chicago, Ford, one of three children, grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and studied dance at Bennington College in Vermont. She divorced her first husband, William Warren, after five years, and began dating then-Navy lieutenant Gerald Ford a short time later. The couple married on October 15, 1948, just two weeks before Gerald Ford was elected to Congress. They lived in the Washington area for nearly three decades, as he climbed up the political ladder from the US Capitol to the White House. Former president Ford, who entered the White House after the resignation of Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal, died on December 26, 2006, also at the age of 93. He had lost the 1976 election campaign to Jimmy Carter, a defeat that historians have attributed to his decision to pardon Nixon for his crimes barely a month after taking office.