President Obama Says Nancy Reagan 'Will Be Missed'

— -- President Obama praised Nancy Reagan for her grace and kindness one day after the former first lady passed away, saying "she will be missed."

“I had the opportunity to meet Mrs. Reagan once. Obviously, she was already advanced in age but could not have been more gracious and more charming to myself and Michelle when we first came into office," the president said during a meeting with financial regulators at the White House.

“I think it’s been well documented the extraordinary love that she had for her husband and the extraordinary comfort and strength that she provided during really hard times," he said. "As somebody who has been lucky enough to have an extraordinary partner in my life as well, I know how much she meant, not just to President Reagan but to the country as a whole. He was lucky to have her and I’m sure he’d be the first to acknowledge that. So, she will be missed.”

Earlier in the day, President Obama ordered flags be flown at half-staff "as a mark of respect for the memory of Nancy Reagan."

President Obama met Nancy Reagan in 2009 when she visited the White House as he signed the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act.