Posted on 10/11/2004 1:42:46 AM PDT by daylate-dollarshort
Actor Christopher Reeve Dead at 52
Monday, October 11, 2004
BEDFORD, NY — Christopher Reeve, the star of the "Superman" movies whose near-fatal riding accident nine years ago turned him into a worldwide advocate for spinal cord research, died Sunday of heart failure, his publicist said. He was 52.
Reeve fell into a coma Saturday after going into cardiac arrest while at his New York home, his publicist, Wesley Combs told The Associated Press by phone from Washington, D.C., on Sunday night.
Reeve was being treated at Northern Westchester Hospital for a pressure wound, a common complication for people living with paralysis. In the past week, the wound had become severely infected, resulting in a serious systemic infection.
"On behalf of my entire family, I want to thank Northern Westchester Hospital for the excellent care they provided to my husband," Dana Reeve, Christopher's wife, said in a statement. "I also want to thank his personal staff of nurses and aides, as well as the millions of fans from around the world who have supported and loved my husband over the years."
Reeve broke his neck in May 1995 when he was thrown from his horse during an equestrian competition in Culpeper, Va.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
This just makes sad.
Reason #1 why I don't ride horses. RIP, CR.
His portrayal of Superman was wonderful, he brought my childhood hero to life. I also loved Somewhere In Time. Rest in peace, Christopher Reeve.
If posters use common sense it stays, if not it will go. These eulogy threads are not appropriate places for hard edged political issues or cheap shots.
Active in many sports, Reeve owned several horses and competed in equestrian events regularly. Witnesses to the May 1995 accident said Reeve's horse had cleared two of 15 fences during the jumping event and stopped abruptly at the third, flinging the actor headlong to the ground.
Doctors said he fractured the top two vertebrae in his neck and damaged his spinal cord. When he finally was released from a rehabilitation institute in December 1995, he thanked staffed members "who have set the stage for my continued journey." He underwent further rehabilitation at his home in upstate New York.
While filming "Superman" in London, Reeve met modeling agency co-founder Gae Exton, and the two began a relationship that lasted several years. The couple had two sons, but were never wed.
Reeve later married Dana Morosini; they had one son, Will, 11. His wife became his frequent spokeswoman after the accident.
Reeve also is survived by his mother, Barbara Johnson; his father, Franklin Reeve; his brother, Benjamin Reeve; and his two children from his relationship with Exton, Matthew, 25, and Alexandra, 21.
No plans for a funeral were immediately announced.
A few months after the accident, he told interviewer Barbara Walters that he considered suicide in the first dark days after he was injured. But he quickly overcame such thoughts when he saw his children.
"I could see how much they needed me and wanted me ... and how lucky we all are and that my brain is on straight."
My heavens, what a shock. I didn't expect this.
De mortuis nil nisi bono. May he rest in peace.
I recently saw Superman for the first time since I saw it when it came out. I gained a new respect for him. Rest in peace, Mr. Reeve.
I enjoyed Mr. Reeve's roles, and was shocked when he was injured so severely. May he be in a better place.
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