'Superman' star Christopher Reeve dead at 52

[Money Boss Hustla]

Paralyzed actor was advocate for spinal cord research

Monday, October 11, 2004 Posted: 2:07 AM EDT (0607 GMT)

BEDFORD, New York (AP) -- 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 that he developed, 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, Virginia.

Enduring months of therapy to allow him to breathe for longer and longer periods without a respirator, Reeve emerged to lobby Congress for better insurance protection against catastrophic injury and to move an Academy Award audience to tears with a call for more films about social issues.

He returned to directing, and even returned to acting in a 1998 production of "Rear Window," a modern update of the Alfred Hitchcock thriller about a man in a wheelchair who becomes convinced a neighbor has been murdered. Reeve won a Screen Actors Guild award for best actor in a television movie or miniseries.

"I was worried that only acting with my voice and my face, I might not be able to communicate effectively enough to tell the story," Reeve said. "But I was surprised to find that if I really concentrated, and just let the thoughts happen, that they would read on my face. With so many close-ups, I knew that my every thought would count."

In his public appearances, he was as handsome as ever, his blue eyes bright and his voice clear.

"Hollywood needs to do more," he said in the March 1996 Oscar awards appearance. "Let's continue to take risks. Let's tackle the issues. In many ways our film community can do it better than anyone else. There is no challenge, artistic or otherwise, that we can't meet."

In 2000, Reeve was able to move his index finger, and a specialized workout regimen has made his legs and arms stronger. He has also regained sensation in other parts of his body.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movi....ap/index.html

[BigGreen]

I fear what implications this may have for smallville.

[BigGreen]

Also, there are rumors flying all over the MLB message boards that Ken Caminitti died of a heart attack....if true, the AAS finger will get pointed shortly.

[wolfyEVH]

Also, there are rumors flying all over the MLB message boards that Ken Caminitti died of a heart attack....if true, the AAS finger will get pointed shortly.

http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3068808

very true bro!!!

[BigGreen]

****, just dedicated a whole new thread to that....but ya beat me to it.

[Dally]

what a bloody shame, I really liked that fella, a whole lot.

gotta all go sometime, I guess, even superman.

good guy

[Money Boss Hustla]

Makes me think of Superman's Song.

Tarzan wasn't a ladies' man
He'd just come along and scoop 'em up under his arm Like that,
quick as a cat in the jungle
But Clark Kent, now there was a real gent
He would not be caught sittin' around in no Junglescape,
dumb as an ape doing nothing
Superman never made any money
saving the world from Solomon Grundy
And sometimes I despair the world will never see
Another man like him

Hey Bob, Supe had a straight job
Even though he could have smashed through any bank In the United States.
He had the strength, but he would not
Folks said his family were all dead
Their planet crumbled but Superman,
he forced himself To carry on,
forget Krypton, and keep going
Superman never made any money
saving the world from Solomon Grundy
And sometimes I despair the world will never see
Another man like him


Tarzan was king of the jungle and Lord over all the apes
But he could hardly string together four words:
"I Tarzan, You Jane."
Sometimes, when Supe was stopping crimes
I'll bet that he was tempted to just quit and turn his back
On man, join Tarzan in the forest
But he stayed in the city,
and kept on changing clothes In dirty old phonebooths
till his work was through
And nothing to do but go on home


Superman never made any money
saving the world from Solomon Grundy
And sometimes I despair the world will never see
Another man like him


Superman never made any money
saving the world from Solomon Grundy
And sometimes I despair the world will never see
Another man like him

[statuZ]

did christpher reeve take steroids ?

[gya321]

man that is sad, he was a good actor

[statuZ]

thaqt **** is so sad man, im high but it just makes it tha tmuch more depressing. I dont reall yknow wha tto say, i use teo awlays watch his movies as a kid now im just ****ing depressed, like im getitng older and i hate it, i liked the good old 6th grade days when you had no worries, and now you have to worry about death and it really makes me wander if what im doing right now in my life is right. that **** is so ****ing sad, like it just makes me think about getitng older, and once i hit 21 ill be happy for maybe 5 mins, then ill realize its all down hill from here. dont you guys all feel the same way or what? god man if i was on clomid now i would be balling my ass off. god

[statuZ]

rest in pece bro, you are the best superman.

[Money Boss Hustla]

Great actor...greater role model. He showed the world his amazing perseverance. He couldn't even breathe on his own after his accident...but he fought his existence and IMHO he won. Any man who can overcome what he did deserves the respect of any man, woman, or child.

I'm actually really touched and saddened at this loss.

God bless his soul. Rest in peace.

[wolfyEVH]

Great actor...greater role model. He showed the world his amazing perseverance. He couldn't even breathe on his own after his accident...but he fought his existence and IMHO he won. Any man who can overcome what he did deserves the respect of any man, woman, or child.


I'm actually really touched and saddened at this loss.


God bless his soul. Rest in peace.

couldnt have said it better....a great human being....

[Blown_SC]

Superman's Dead - Our Lady Peace

Ironic names for songs indeed

In all seriousness though, RIP, he was a really cool bro from what I've seen of him on tv, post-series fame... sad indeed

[Warrior]

Wow - I was just reading in a Readers Digest about an interview with him. He was working on a couple movies and whatnot... dam shame - RIP

[BOUNCER]

Guess most of you guys are too young to have just known him simply as 'SUPERMAN'. When I heard the news this morning, first thing I said to the kids was ''SUPERMAN has died'', they looked at me like I was from mar's.

To my generation Christopher Reeve WAS and WILL ALWAYS REMAIN SUPERMAN.

[mass junkie]

Hey Bouncer, Did you ever get to watch The Superman series on TV with George Reeves?

Christopher Reeves was just on the radio last week giving an interview....really sad how people are here one day and gone the next...RIP

[Slick Arrado]

Rest In Peace Mr. Reeve.

[DevilsDeity]

nice pic

[Spyder]

There is only one way for me to pay my respects ... and that is to take a personal day off from work today, head down to Great Adventure and ride the Superman coaster over and over! .................. with the long lines, i should be able to do it 3 times, if im lucky.

..............all kidding aside, i was a young boy growing up watching superman. he is a gentleman! RIP Bro! .....

[Mighty Joe]

His wife really hung in there!!!!!!!!!!!

We should all be lucking to find a woman like her!

MJ

[Juggernaut]

Guess most of you guys are too young to have just known him simply as 'SUPERMAN'. When I heard the news this morning, first thing I said to the kids was ''SUPERMAN has died'', they looked at me like I was from mar's.

To my generation Christopher Reeve WAS and WILL ALWAYS REMAIN SUPERMAN.

How true Bouncer, how true. I admired him greatly.......to handle his disablity and never once complain about it or say "If only...." A true man indeed..............a Superman. RIP bro.

[decadbal]

god bless him and his family

[houseofpain]

RIP superman!

[Big Poppa Pump]

Also, there are rumors flying all over the MLB message boards that Ken Caminitti died of a heart attack....if true, the AAS finger will get pointed shortly.

Already have...it was on Sports Center last night. They mentioned his steroid use , but also his cocaine use.

[Bigen12]

Rest in Peace.

[Kärnfysikern]

I love the old superman movies. Not only a great actor but a hell of a fighter, since his accident he spent so much time to gather money for (i think the english name is)stem cell research.

Rest in peace.

[Rhino58]

Much respect.

[Elysium]

Superman aint dead, he just had to go and live on another planet and do good there instead of here. You guys have no idea

[TheGame826]

I honestly thought for sure he would have lived to walk again.. he seemed so optimistic and set on that goal... sad day... why has there been alot of people dying lately? (rodney dangerfield) ahaha well ok Dangerfield was no superman.

[Kärnfysikern]

I honestly thought for sure he would have lived to walk again.. he seemed so optimistic and set on that goal... sad day... why has there been alot of people dying lately? (rodney dangerfield) ahaha well ok Dangerfield was no superman.

I thought so to. I saw a documentary about him that showed how hard the struggled to try to regain some movement and it realy seemed like he was making progress. What a great victory it would have been if he had been able to walk again.

If a accident like that happened to me I would pay someone to give me a od of some narcotic and die right away. I would never have the ability to continue fighting like he had. Got to respect that

[craneboy]

god bless him

[BOUNCER]

I honestly thought for sure he would have lived to walk again.. he seemed so optimistic and set on that goal...

So did I. He's the man who flew..

[Prime]

I give him respect for going on living for 9 years in a wheelchair. That would have broken me in a week or less.

[palme]

Guess most of you guys are too young to have just known him simply as 'SUPERMAN'. When I heard the news this morning, first thing I said to the kids was ''SUPERMAN has died'', they looked at me like I was from mar's.

To my generation Christopher Reeve WAS and WILL ALWAYS REMAIN SUPERMAN.

D4mn your old!

Superman is that guy from lois and clark



RIP