published a book on entertaining and hosting, Entertaining With Betsy Bloomingdale: A Collection of Culinary Tips and Treasures From the World’s Best Hosts and Hostesses, in 1994. Her social circle included Nancy Reagan, Joan Collins, Joan Rivers, Lauren Bacall and Nan Kempner. Her friendship with Reagan began in the 1950s, and was so close that Bloomingdale became known as the "First Friend" during the Reagan presidency. She frequently provided fashion, decorating and style advice to the First Lady. A practicing Roman Catholic, she was involved in fundraising projects for the Los Angeles Cathedral, and also contributed to the funding for the development of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. She was also a member of the elite charitable group The Colleagues, which funded homes for unmarried mothers and their children. She was the subject of an exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in 2009. The exhibit, called "High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture", displayed 60 of her haute couture gowns. Bloomingdale died on July 19, 2016, at her home in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, from complications from a heart condition. She was 93 years old. References 1922 births 2016 deaths American people of Australian descent American socialites American Roman Catholics Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City California Republicans People from Greater Los Angeles People from Holmby Hills, Los Angeles Bloomingdale family 20th-century American philanthropists