Death of Gerald Ford
Betty Ford kneels in prayer at the casket of her late husband, Gerald Ford, as he lies in state. The Ford children, left to right, are Jack, Susan, Michael, and Steven.
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| Date | December 30, 2006 – January 2, 2007 |
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| Location | Capitol Rotunda, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Participants | Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and members of the 109th United States Congress |
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 cardiac arrest.
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 (the first being Ronald Reagan) to die during the Presidency of George W. Bush, and is both the most recent U.S. president and vice president to have died.
Upon Ford's death, President George W. Bush said in a written statement:
There were also tributes from other Americans, including the living former American presidents: Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, as well as Ford's former Chief of Staff, Vice President Dick Cheney and former First Lady Nancy Reagan.
Foreign leaders who paid tribute included Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Czech President Václav Klaus and German President Horst Köhler. Harper advised Governor General Michaëlle Jean to order all flags across Canada flown to half-mast from sunrise to sunset on January 2, 2007, in sympathy with the national day of mourning in the U.S. In the United Kingdom, the Union Flag at Buckingham Palace was flown at half-mast on December 28.
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