MRS. NIXON and I share the sorrow of millions of Americans at the death of Louis Armstrong. One of the architects of an American art form, a free and individual spirit, and an artist of worldwide fame, his great talents and magnificent spirit added richness and pleasure to all our lives.
Note: Mr. Armstrong, 71, died of a heart attack in his home in Corona, Queens, N.Y. He achieved worldwide fame as a jazz musician and trumpet player.
The statement was made available to the press on board Air Force One en route to San Clemente, Calif.
On July 9, 1971, Leonard Garment, Special Consultant to the President, represented the President at funeral services in New York City.
Richard Nixon, Statement on the Death of Louis Armstrong. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/240390