Ronald Reagan died on June 5 , 2004 in Los Angeles , California from complications of Alzheimer 's disease . A state funeral occurred in Washington , D.C. and Simi Valley , California , where Reagan was interred at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library . 200,000 mourners ( 5,000 per hour ) filed past Reagan 's casket in the Capitol rotunda June 9 – 11 , 2004 . Over two dozen world leaders listened to eulogies given by President George W. Bush , former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during a national funeral service held at Washington National Cathedral . This funeral also featured a new element : a massive security operation . The state funeral marked the first time that Washington hosted a major event since the September 11 , 2001 attacks . As a result , the Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ) designated the state funeral a National Special Security Event ( NSSE ) , making the United States Secret Service in charge of security . Attorney General John Ashcroft told a Senate hearing before the funeral : " It is a sad commentary when the observation of a memorial service for a former president of the United States must be labeled a National Special Security Event . Such is the fact of modern life in Washington and such is the nature of the war against al Qaeda . " When Gerald Ford died on December 26 , 2006 , of arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease and diffuse arteriosclerosis , a state funeral was held in Palm Desert , California , Washington D.C. , and Grand Rapids , Michigan . Eulogies were given at Washington National Cathedral by former President George H. W. Bush , former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger , journalist Tom Brokaw , and sitting President George W. Bush . Ford 's remains were then flown to Michigan for interment at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
September 11 , 2001 attacks
September 11 attacks
State funerals in the United States