Christopher Reeve - known to millions for the Superman films in which he starred - has died in New York at the age of 52. His publicist says he suffered cardiac arrest and fell into a coma. Reeve was left almost completely paralysed by a horse-riding accident in 1995, which turned him into a passionate advocate of spinal cord research. [BBC]

I had posted this picture, taken in Redmond (Wa) a few months ago. I'm posting it again this morning, as a tribute to a man of extraordinary courage. Farewell M. Reeve...

© Isabelle Hontebeyrie

According to the Associated Press [via Yahoo.com and FOX]: "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. His family was at his side at the time of death."

"Reeve's wife Dana said in a statement: "On behalf of my entire family, I want to thank Northern Westchester Hospital for the excellent care they provided to my husband. 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." [BBC]

The accident
As stated by Reuters: "Reeve, confined to a wheelchair since his riding accident in 1995, had in recent years campaigned for the rights of the disabled and for stepped-up research into the treatment of spinal cord injuries. An accomplished rider who owned several horses, Reeve suffered multiple injuries including two shattered neck vertebrae when he was thrown from his horse at an equestrian event in Commonwealth Park in Virginia." And MSNBC reports: "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." [CNN]

His life
"Born on Sept. 25, 1952, in New York City, where he continued to live as an adult, Reeve was a prototypical handsome leading man on stage and screen. The son of an English professor and his journalist wife, Reeve attended the Julliard school in New York City and graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. He began his acting career in summer stock and appeared on the television soap opera "Love of Life" while still in college. Reeve debuted on Broadway in "A Matter of Gravity" in 1976, playing Katharine Hepburn's grandson, and later starred in Lanford Wilson's "Fifth of July," in which he portrayed embittered Kenneth Talley, a gay, crippled Vietnam War vet. Despite his theatre credentials and work on television, Reeve is best known as the hero of the "Superman" films. He was a virtual unknown when he was chosen from 200 candidates to become the big screen's incarnation of 1978's "Superman," in which he played fumbling Clark Kent who at will turns into the flying superhero. "It is very strange to walk into the House and Hound, some pub from the 15th century in the middle of Wilshire someplace, then -- 'Aye, it's Superman, here he comes!'" he said in an 1993 interview on Cable News Network". [Washington Post]

"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 - Matthew, 25, and Alexandra, 21 - but they never married. In 1992, Reeve 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; and his brother, Benjamin Reeve." [CBS]

The fight
As reported by The Guardian: "In 2002, his doctors said he was able to move some of his fingers and toes. The star could also feel a pin prick over most of his body and could distinguish between hot and cold, and sharp and dull sensations. At the time, doctors said the progress indicated that he might one day be able to walk again. In an interview at the time, Mr Reeve said the greatest thing was being able to feel the hugs of his wife and his three children.

Colin Blakemore, chief executive of the Medical Research Council, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme today: "Christopher Reeve was known to all of us for his campaigning and for his courage. He was a remarkable man. It is absolutely wrong to raise false expectations about the speed with which medical research progresses, but it takes people like Reeve, with their commitment and their certainty that they will be cured, to carry it forward. It takes extraordinary individuals like Reeve to recognise that investment and effort is worthwhile in the long run to work for others."

Other coverage and links
Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation
New York Daily News - Christopher Reeve earlier this year at Madison Square Gardens
The Scotsman - Actor Used Plight to Highlight Stem Cell Research
Al-Jazeera - Actor Christopher Reeve is dead
ABC News - Superman Star Christopher Reeve Dies
New York Post - 'SUPERMAN' STAR LOSES COURAGEOUS FIGHT AT 52
The Scotsman - From Action Hero to Tireless Campaigner
Ananova - Superman actor Reeve dies at 52
Empire Online - Christopher Reeve Is Dead
U.S. Newswire (press release) - Actor, Director and Activist Christopher Reeve Dies at Age 52

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