Betty Ford

In life, Betty Ford was known for speaking her mind, even when the subjects -- substance abuse, cancer, equal rights for women -- made some people uncomfortable. So it continued in death, with a funeral scripted by the former first lady to make the most of her final bully pulpit. Ford, who died Friday at the age of 93, had personally decided who would deliver eulogies at her funeral, held Tuesday in Palm Desert. Addressing an audience that included First Lady Michelle Obama and three of her predecessors, as well as former President George W. Bush, the speakers ranged over the themes of Ford's life: the courage of recovery from addiction, the importance of bipartisan collegiality in politics, the love she shared with the man she called her "boyfriend," the late President Gerald R. Ford.

After skipping out on entering a Newport Beach rehabilitation facility and facing the prospect of arrest for violating her probation, Lindsay Lohan has checked into the Betty Ford Center to begin a 90-day court-mandated stay in her reckless driving conviction. Lohan also rehired her former attorney Shawn Holley, who represented her for several years, and the lawyer arranged for the "Mean Girls" star to enter the Rancho Mirage facility. The moves capped a chaotic 24 hours in which Lohan showed up Thursday at Morningside Recovery in Newport Beach, only to promptly leave.

Singer Jerry Lee Lewis walked out of the Betty Ford drug rehabilitation center after only a week of treatment because he hates to get up early and doesn't like chores, his manager said today. "You can't deal with him like you do any other person," J. W. Whitten said. Lewis, 51, was admitted to the center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., last week for what was supposed to have been four to six weeks of treatment for addiction to painkillers.

The Rancho Mirage estate of the late President Gerald Ford and Betty Ford has sold for $1.675 million. The buyers are entertainment business manager John McIlwee and Dreamworks Animation executive Bill Damaschke, who announced their intentions to preserve the 6,316-square-foot midcentury home. They purchased the furniture, including sofas and desks, and some of the artwork separately. The Fords built the Welton Becket-designed home in 1979. The gated compound encompasses 1.37 acres.

Former First Lady Betty Ford returned home today after a two-week hospital stay for heart and neck surgery, a family spokesman said.

Former First Lady Betty Ford had elective surgery at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage today to unblock arteries at both sides of her neck and will be recovering at her desert home after a brief hospitalization, hospital spokesman Michael McFadden said.

Former First Lady Betty Ford, who had major heart surgery last month and underwent an unplanned operation overnight for "a minor wound problem," will remain hospitalized for about two days, officials said today. "She is back in the cardiac care unit (at Eisenhower Medical Center) and is doing well," said Bob Barrett, spokesman for former President Gerald R. Ford. Barrett said Ford visited his 69-year-old wife in the hospital for about 40 minutes this morning.

Five former first ladies are expected to attend a celebration Friday for the 20th anniversary of the Betty Ford Center for drug and alcohol abuse. Nancy Reagan, Rosalynn Carter, Barbara Bush and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will join to honor Betty Ford at the black-tie event at the Hyatt Grand Champions resort in Indian Wells. "People have told us that this many first ladies getting together is extraordinary. It speaks to their respect of Mrs. Ford," center President John Schwarzlose said.

Former First Lady Betty Ford is to be released from Eisenhower Medical Center over the weekend after recuperating from coronary bypass surgery, a hospital spokesman said Friday. Mrs. Ford was to have been released earlier in the week but opted to stay through Thanksgiving for extra recuperation, said the spokesman, who refused to give his name.

In life, Betty Ford was known for speaking her mind, even when the subjects -- substance abuse, cancer, equal rights for women -- made some people uncomfortable. So it continued in death, with a funeral scripted by the former first lady to make the most of her final bully pulpit. Ford, who died Friday at the age of 93, had personally decided who would deliver eulogies at her funeral, held Tuesday in Palm Desert. Addressing an audience that included First Lady Michelle Obama and three of her predecessors, as well as former President George W. Bush, the speakers ranged over the themes of Ford's life: the courage of recovery from addiction, the importance of bipartisan collegiality in politics, the love she shared with the man she called her "boyfriend," the late President Gerald R. Ford.

Betty Ford's legacy Re "First lady inspired others with her personal battles," Obituary, July 9 In one of the most tumultuous times our nation had faced since the Civil War, First Lady Betty Ford and her husband helped this nation heal. Like them, my parents were "liberal Republicans," a now oxymoronic term. Then as now, the measure of greatness is enduring courage under great pressure. Surely, we must all agree that Ford will not only remain a first lady but that her example is one of true compassion.

First Lady Michelle Obama will travel to California to attend a funeral service on Tuesday for former First Lady Betty Ford, the White House has announced. Ford, born Elizabeth Anne Bloomer in Chicago on April 8, 1918, was the wife of Republican President Gerald R. Ford, who served from 1974-1977. She died Friday at age 93 in a hospital in Rancho Mirage, Calif. President Ford died in 2006. Michelle Obama will travel to Palm Desert, Calif., for Mrs. Ford’s funeral, the White House said.

A private memorial for former First Lady Betty Ford will be held in Palm Desert on Tuesday, with a eulogy to be delivered by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, before her remains are flown to Michigan and laid to rest beside her husband, a family representative said Saturday. Ford, 93, died of natural causes Friday afternoon, surrounded by family members at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage. She had been hospitalized with a brief illness but, contrary to some news reports, did not suffer a stroke, said Greg Willard, the Fords' longtime attorney.

Former First Lady Betty Ford, who captivated the nation with her unabashed candor and forthright discussion of her personal battles with breast cancer, prescription drug addiction and alcoholism, has died. She was 93. Ford died Friday at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, according to Barbara Lewandrowski, a family representative. The cause was not given. As wife of Gerald R. Ford, the 38th president of the United States and the only person to hold that office without first being elected vice president or president, she spent a brief, yet remarkable time as the nation's first lady.

Los Angeles County prosecutors said Tuesday they plan to file charges against actress Lindsay Lohan for allegedly stealing a $2,500 necklace from a Venice jewelry store. The felony grand theft charge will be the most serious faced by Lohan, who over the last two years has made headlines for court appearances and stints in rehab. She will be arraigned Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at Airport Court. Lohan is on probation and faces a criminal investigation in Riverside County involving allegations that she shoved a worker at the Betty Ford Center.

Riverside County sheriff's detectives say they believe Lindsay Lohan violated her probation during an alleged altercation with a technician at a Betty Ford Center housing complex in Palm Desert last month over whether the actress should take an alcohol test. Detectives have asked Riverside County prosecutors to consider charging Lohan with battery even though the technician has asked that the case be dropped. "Regardless of whether the victim is cooperating, we believe there is a case here to press charges ?