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CNN Live Saturday

Family and Friends Gather to Pay Respects to Maureen Reagan

Aired August 18, 2001 - 12:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Today in Sacramento, California, family and friends are gathering for a memorial service for Maureen Reagan, Ronald Reagan's oldest child. She died earlier this month of cancer.

And CNN's national correspondent Frank Buckley is joining us from Sacramento with the latest for us -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Donna, among those people expected to attend today, former First Lady Nancy Reagan. We are expecting her to arrive at any moment. We just saw moments ago the arrival of Jane Wyman the, biological mother of Maureen Reagan, Nancy Reagan the stepmother of Maureen Reagan.

Maureen Reagan remained in the public eye, long after President Reagan left office. Most notably, she was involved in recent years in the attempt to raise awareness and funding for Alzheimer's research after her father, the former president was diagnosed with the Alzheimer's.

Maureen Reagan was also a very politically active person from an early age, who liked to say she was a Republican before Ronald Reagan was. Yesterday I had chance to speak with Michael Reagan very briefly, Maureen Reagan's brother. And he was telling me that Maureen Reagan was the person who kept the family connected.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL REAGAN, MAUREEN REAGAN'S BROTHER: Many people have talked about this family over the years. Maureen's the one in the last few years that's really picked it up. And I think that if anything, she showed me leadership where maybe I'd been too busy doing other things.

What she's really I think wanted all of us to do: me and Patty and Ron is, "I'm gone. I can't be there for your dad anymore everyday, calling Nancy everyday. I can't be there for mom like you know, like I was to make sure everything's OK with her. You need to also now pick this up where I left it. And so that's what I need to do." I need to say what would Maureen do?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Michael Reagan, among those who will speak during the funeral mass that follows the memorial service that gets underway in about an hour. Also among those speaking actor David Hyde Pierce and actress Shelly Faberes.

Both have been touched by Alzheimer's disease through family connections. Both of them have been very involved in helping in the attempt to raise awareness and funding for Alzheimer's research.

Also among the speakers today, Senator John McCain and former New Jersey governor and now EPA Administrator, Christie Whitman -- Donna.

KELLEY: Frank Buckley there. Thanks very much.

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