Nancy Reagan will be endorsing John McCain tonight.

UPDATE: The endorsement will take place at 5:15 PM Pacific Time according to Politico:

McCain, a longtime friend of the Reagans, will join the widow of the 40th president for a 5:15 local time event meant to bestow the closest thing to The Gipper's blessing.

"Although it has been my custom to wait until after the Republican National Convention to announce my support of a candidate, it is clear that the party has chosen its nominee," Reagan is to say in a statement. "So it is with great pleasure that I endorse Sen. John McCain for president of the United States.

"John McCain has been a good friend for over 30 years. My husband and I first came to know him as a returning Vietnam War POW and were impressed by the courage he had shown through his terrible ordeal. I believe John’s record and experience have prepared him well to be our next president."

After meeting privately in Reagan's home, McCain will join the former first lady for a brief appearance outside for cameras.

Via ABC News Political Radar:

ABC News' Bret Hovell Reports: John McCain will receive the endorsement of former first lady Nancy Reagan Tuesday evening in Los Angeles.

The support of Reagan, widow of the late President Ronald Reagan, was highly coveted during the Republican primary, when most of the candidates running tried regularly to cloak themselves in the Reagan mantle.

McCain, R-Ariz., is no exception, saying regularly on the stump that he was a "foot-soldier in the Reagan Revolution," and referring to his desire to get so-called "Reagan Democrats" to cross over and support his candidacy.

The presumptive Republican nominee will travel to Reagan's home in Bel Air to receive Mrs. Reagan's endorsement.