Death And State Funeral Of Gerald Ford
On December 26, 2006, Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States, died at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, at 6:45 p.m. local time (02:45, December 27, UTC). At 8:49 p.m. local time, President Ford's wife of 58 years, Betty Ford, issued a statement that confirmed his death: "My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather has died at 93 years of age. His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country." The causes of death listed on the subsequent death certificate were arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease and diffuse arteriosclerosis. President Ford's body was taken to Eisenhower Medical Center where it remained until the start of state funeral services on December 29.
Ford died at the age of 93 years and 165 days, making him the longest-living United States President in history, surpassing Ronald Reagan by 45 days. He was the second president to die in the 21st-century (after Reagan), the second to die during the Presidency of George W. Bush, and is both the most recent president and vice president to die.
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