Joan Quigley, the astrologer whose most famous patrons were former President Ronald Reagan and his first lady, Nancy Reagan, died Tuesday at the age of 87 in her home in San Francisco, California.

Quigley had been suffering from bouts of pneumonia in recent years and died of natural causes, according to her sister, Ruth Quigley. 

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The former first lady reportedly began consulting Quigley shortly after news broke that she predicted the assassination attempt on the president.

In her memoir, "My Turn", Reagan said she hoped to prevent chances of her husband getting shot again. Media mogul Merv Griffin, a close friend of the Reagans, was the first to tell her of Quigley's prediction.

However, Quigley's influence in the Reagans' lives did not end with a one-time consultation.

In the years following the attempt to assassinate Reagan, Quigley figured prominently in the decisions made by the first couple, including the direction of Reagan's policies, his daily schedule, trips, State of the Union addresses and news conferences.

Donald Regan, who was chief of staff to Reagan, revealed in his 1988 memoir "For the Record" that the first couple relied heavily on the unnamed woman who drew horoscopes for them.

He wrote that all of the president's comings and goings, including every major decision, were first given clearance by a woman in San Francisco. He also attributed the president's fall a year earlier to the first lady's consultation with an astrologer, who was later identified as Quigley.

Quigley later confirmed the allegation in her 1988 interview with the Associated Press, where she reportedly described herself as a "scientific astrologer."   

The first lady wrote about her embarrassment over the revelation a year later, saying that while some astrological consultations were made to determine the president's schedule, they were hardly the basis for his political policies. 

But in her 1990 memoir entitled "What Does Joan Say?: My Seven Years As White House Astrologer to Nancy and Ronald Reagan", Quigley claimed to have had greater influence over the first couple's lives than the first lady would ever admit.

She said she told the first lady that Reagan's stance against the Soviet Union has to change ahead of his 1985 meeting with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva.

"Gorbachev's Aquarian planet is in such harmony with Ronnie's, you'll see ... They'll share a vision," Quigley claimed to have told the first lady. 

Quigley was originally from Kansas City, Mo. but her family moved to San Francisco where she earned a degree in art history. She dabbled in astrology as a hobby and wrote books such as "Astrology for Teens" and "Astrology for Adults".

TagsJoan Quigley, Reagan's astrologer, Astrology