The BBC's Washington correspondent Clive Myrie is accompanying President Bush on his European tour. He gives BBC News Online some of his reflections on the trip.
The rumours had been flying around all day - but every few months or so, that would happen.
There had been periodic rumours of Reagan's death. This time it was for real
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I remember the same suggestions that a big announcement was imminent back in the late 1990s, when I was Los Angeles correspondent, but nothing ever happened.
After a long day covering President Bush's trip to Rome, then on to Paris and his meeting with President Jacques Chirac, it was about 2230 by the time I got to bed.
Ahead of me, four glorious hours of sleep. Our baggage call for the president's trip to Normandy the following morning was an alarming 0330.
Sleep denied
I'd been asleep for about five minutes when my mobile phone rang. The news had been confirmed: Ronald Reagan was dead.
I threw on some clothes, rushed down to the press centre in the basement of our hotel in Paris, and joined about 150 other bleary-eyed Washington correspondents filing on the big news.
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Apparently one of Reagan's favourite sayings was, 'I know hard work never killed anyone, but why should I take the risk?'
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Being in that press centre was probably one of the most interesting places to be, given the circumstances.
So many of the seasoned journalists around me had been covering the White House when Ronald Reagan was president.
Some recalled his warmth and sense of humour. Apparently one of his favourite sayings was: "I know hard work never killed anyone, but why should I take the risk?"
I didn't go to bed that night.
Four hours later, I left the press centre to pack my bags for Normandy.
As I tidied away my computer and headed back up to my room, the alarm I'd set four hours earlier went off on the mobile phone in my pocket, much to the amusement of the journalists around me.
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~38~RS~)
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Ronald Reagan
