Ronald Reagan actually said...

Jimmy Cagney was the classic American success story, lifting himself by determination and hard work out of poverty to national acclaim.

He was the best at whatever he did—a hero, a villain, a comic, or a dancer.

Nancy and I have lost a dear friend of many years today, and America has lost one of her finest artists.

Jimmy burst upon our movie screen with an energy and a talent we have never seen before and we will never see again.