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As Twitter is wont to do, the microblogging network became a de facto town square Sunday as politicians, personalities and every day folk shared their thoughts and memories of former First Lady Nancy Reagan.
Reagan, perhaps most famous for her “Just Say No” anti-drug abuse campaign, died Sunday morning at her home in Los Angeles of congestive heart failure. She was 94.
News of her death spread quickly on Twitter, with Twitter users sending more than a quarter million tweets mentioning the former first lady just a few hours after her death was announced.
Candidates to fill the office once held by her husband Ronald Reagan took time from their campaigning to offer praise and condolences. Republican front-runner Donald Trump called her an “amazing woman”:
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio praised her “integrity and grace”:
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz praised her for her “deep passion” for the country:
Former first lady and Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton praised Nancy Reagan’s “legendary” character:
The White House tweeted a photo showing Nancy Reagan being escorted by President Barack Obama, saying the president and first lady were “grateful” for her life:
Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger praised her as one of his heroes:
Ronan Farrow, a former government advisor and the son of actress Mia Farrow, praised her for making her life count:
The official Twitter account honoring John Wayne tweeted a photo of the late actor with the Reagans:
Some tweets were not as complimentary, taking the opportunity to criticize the former first lady’s character. Those comment drew responses like this one from New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof about respect:
