Sarah Brady, the widow of former White House Press Secretary James Brady, has died, the Brady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun Violence announced Friday. She was 73.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said in a post: "We are heartbroken over the loss of Sarah Brady, our dear friend and Chairperson of the Brady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Sarah was a champion for gun violence prevention and her commitment and fiery compassion will live on."
The organization did not specify a cause of death.
We are heartbroken over the loss of Sarah Brady, our dear friend and Chairperson of the Brady Campaign and Center to... Posted by Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence on Friday, April 3, 2015
Jim Brady was seriously injured by the assassination attempt on then-President Ronald Reagan and confined to a wheelchair after the incident. He and his wife, Sarah, went on to become dedicated advocates for gun control, and he became the namesake for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Jim Brady died in August 2014.
"All of us at the Brady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun Violence are heartbroken over the passing of Sarah Brady. Together with her husband Jim 'Bear’ Brady, Sarah was the heart and soul of this organization and the successful movement it has become today. In the history of our nation, there are few people, if any, who are directly responsible for saving as many lives as Sarah and Jim," said Brady Campaign and Center President Dan Gross in a statement.
"There are countless people walking around today who would not be were it not for Sarah Brady’s remarkable resilience, compassion and – what she always said she enjoyed the most -- her hard work in the trenches with this organization, which she continued right up to the very end."
Former First Lady Nancy Reagan said Friday she was "deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my dear friend."
"Just over 34 years ago, we shared an experience that bonded us for life, as we comforted each other in a tiny, windowless office at the George Washington University Hospital Emergency Room, while awaiting word about whether our husbands would survive the horrific gunshots that had brought them there," Reagan said.
"Sarah and Jim’s path from that day on was, of course, much more difficult than Ronnie’s and mine, but Sarah never complained," Reagan added. "Over the years, I found her to be a woman of immense courage, strength and optimism. I will miss Sarah very much, but take comfort in knowing that she joined Jim on Good Friday and is now at peace."
Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was critically injured when she was shot in the head in January 2011, also expressed her condolences.
"We know Sarah will be missed by all those whose lives she touched and who were so inspired by her commitment to her late husband Jim and to the cause of reducing gun violence in our country," Giffords said in a joint statement with her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly -- co-founder of Americans for Responsible Solutions.
"Sarah Brady showed us not only what a tireless fight for common sense looks like, but also what it means to be a loving spouse and caretaker in the wake of a senseless tragedy. Our prayers are with her son Scott, her daughter Missy, and the entire Brady Campaign family as they mourn this devastating loss," they added in their statement.
Brady is survived by her and Jim’s son, James “Scott” Brady, Jr., and her stepdaughter, Melissa “Missy” Brady Camins.
Sarah Brady, pictured far right in 2006
, gun control campaigner and widow of former US   , has died at the age of 73. Her death was announced by the . Brady died on Friday after a battle with  according to e-mails sent by her family.  

A statement by the Brady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun Violence was posted on Facebook. It said "We are heartbroken over the loss of Sarah Brady, our dear friend and Chairperson of the Brady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Sarah was a champion for gun violence prevention and her commitment and fiery compassion will live on." 

On March 30, 1981 , Sarah Brady's husband, James, was injured in a shooting attempted assassination of US President . A bullet entered his head and lodged in his brain. He suffered severe injuries and was partially paralyzed for the remainder of his life. The attack by . also injured three more people, including President Reagan.

In the years after the shooting, Sarah Brady became an advocate for gun control laws, and in 1989 vice chair of Handgun Control, Inc. In 2001 Handgun Control, Inc. became known as the Brady Campaign in tribute of both Sarah and James' efforts in fighting for tougher gun control. Brady said "the proudest moment of our lives" was in 1993 when President Bill Clinton signed into effect the , tightening gun law legislation. 

Former First Lady  released a statement regarding the death of her "dear friend" Sarah Brady. She said "Over the years, I found her to be a woman of immense courage, strength and optimism. I will miss Sarah very much, but take comfort in knowing that she joined Jim on Good Friday and is now at peace." 

Another tribute came from former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords, who was was shot in the head and nearly killed in 2011, said "We know Sarah will be missed by all those whose lives she touched and who were so inspired by her commitment to her late husband Jim and to the cause of reducing gun violence in our country... Sarah Brady showed us not only what a tireless fight for common sense looks like, but also what it means to be a loving spouse and caretaker in the wake of a senseless tragedy. Our prayers are with her son Scott, her daughter Missy, and the entire Brady Campaign family as they mourn this devastating loss".

Brady's death has come less than a year after the death of her husband. James Brady also died at the age of 73 last August. She is survived by son James and stepdaughter Melissa.