For U.S. President George W. Bush, the death of Ronald Reagan meant "we have lost our leader."

Former President George H.W. Bush told reporters in Maine, "the finality of all of this is going to hit the American people very hard. Barbara and I mourn the loss of a great president and for us, a great friend." The elder Bush was Reagan's vice-president for eight years.

For former prime minister Brian Mulroney, it also meant the loss of a friend.

"Mrs. Reagan and I speak regularly," he told reporters outside his Montreal mansion Saturday night, referring to Nancy, the ex-president's wife.

"I simply was calling to see how things were, because obviously they've deteriorated in the last little while, and she said, 'Brian, I think the end is near.'

"And it wasn't a half hour later after our conversation that the television came on and said he had passed on. It's a great loss for the United States and the world."

Reagan passed away Saturday at age 93 following a decade-long battle with Alzheimer's Disease.

Mulroney -- who was in office from 1984 to 1993, overlapping with Reagan's second term -- described Reagan as "an absolutely marvellous human being and a great and historic leader who will be remembered favourably."

Reagan and Mulroney had one of the stronger presidential-prime ministerial bonds. Their appearance on stage together at the end of the 1985 "Shamrock Summit" in Quebec City to sing "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" was a signature moment of Mulroney's time in power.

Canada's free trade agreement was negotiated between the Reagan and Mulroney administrations.

Prime Minister Paul Martin issued a statement Saturday saying: "During his tenure as president, President Reagan's leadership served to define an era of sweeping geo-political change.

"In particular, he helped lay the foundations for the end of the cold war and a period of much greater co-operation between the West and the nations of the former Soviet Union."

Besides that, Martin said: "A veteran of World War Two, Ronald Reagan committed much of his adult life to public service. His wit, warmth and unique capacity to communicate helped to make him one of the most influential figures in the second half of the 20th century."

Stephen Harper, the Conservative Party leader, said in a statement: "President Reagan was the Churchill of his era. His commitment to the principles of freedom and democracy, and his boundless optimism for humanity, will remain an inspiration for us all."

Reagan was considered one of the most small-C conservative presidents in U.S. history.

In Paris for D-Day celebrations, Bush said: "He leaves behind a nation he restored and a world he helped save. During the years of President Reagan, America laid to rest an era of division and self doubt.

"And because of his leadership, the world laid to rest and era of fear and tyranny. Now, in laying our leader to rest, we say: thank you."