After years of dubious right–wing political opinions, Newsmax columnist Michael Reagan died in January. On top of the standard obituary by Michael Katz, Newsmax issued its own statement on Reagan’s death:
We at Newsmax will miss him greatly and will never forget the role he played in helping build Newsmax into one of the nation’s newest and most influential media outlets. The Reagan family has lost a devoted husband and father, America has lost a great patriot, and I have lost a dear friend.
May God hold him close to His heart. Rest in peace, Michael Reagan.
That was joined by Newsmax chief Christopher Ruddy serving up his own remembrance:
Michael Reagan was far more than the son of a president — even a president as famous and celebrated as Ronald Reagan.
Mike was a true believer, a warrior for conservative principles, and a man of deep faith.
He could have easily spent his life trading on his family name. Many would have. But Mike never did.
Like his father, he was never about money. He was about country, family, and faith.
Actually, it can be argued that Reagan did, in fact, trade on his family name. Would Newsmax have hired him as a columnist were it not for the Reagan name? Unlikely. Ruddy also highlighted that Reagan indeed traded on his father’s name:
I encouraged him to write “Lessons My Father Taught Me,” a book detailing the values and example his dad shared with him as a child.
No surprise, it became a bestseller. Mike told me it was the most important work of his life.
A link on the book title takes you to a page where the book is being given away as part of a promotion for Newsmax magazine. It will not surprise you to learn that Reagan’s book was published by Newsmax’s book division, Humanix Books.
Ruddy continued to gush:
When I started Newsmax in 1998, Mike became one of our earliest and strongest champions.
He promoted us relentlessly on his show when we needed it most.
Later, he became a Newsmax columnist and one of the very first analysts to join our cable channel.
Whenever we needed Mike, he was there — no questions asked, no hesitation, no flinching.
[…]The torch is passed, and it must never be dropped.
As it turned out, Ronald Reagan’s greatest torchbearer was his eldest and adopted son.
Now Michael Reagan has gone on to join his mom and dad in heaven — and that torch has been passed once more — to all of us.
John Gizzi contributed a remembrance as well:
It was always a pleasure to get a phone call from Mike Reagan — an even greater one to sit down with him for lunch or dinner, whether in California or Washington.
When news hit that the eldest son of the 40th president had passed, great memories flooded my mind.
Perhaps the notable thing about him was that he possessed the same gift for storytelling and humor that made his father so beloved.
[…]Like many children of famous parents, Mike was often known more for who his parents were than for who he was.
But those who knew him recognized a man who, in midlife, carved out his own successful career as a syndicated radio talk-show host and commentator and columnist for Newsmax.
He excelled at it, offering insights shaped by a lifetime of observing politics up close — from his father’s years as governor of California to the presidency — always delivered with an infectious sense of humor.
From there came an announcement of a memorial service, followed by the service itself, which descried that “Michael Reagan was remembered Wednesday at a memorial service in Los Angeles as a man deeply committed to faith, family, and the stewardship of his father’s legacy.”