Overnight news…
BEDFORD, N.Y. (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, 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.Reeve will be forever known as Superman, a role he played in 1978’s “Superman” movie and 3 sequels. His time as a spokesman for those suffering from spinal cord injuries may be how he is best remembered; and I suspect that’s how he’d like to be remembered…
May he rest in peace.
I think we can agree on wishing Superman the best in his afterlife, thanking him for his stem cell evangelism and sending our condolences to his family and friends.
There is much to admire about how Christopher Reeve and his family faced his injury and all its consequences. My concern is that Kerry and/or his “people” will use Reeve’s personal tragedy, and now his death, to blame Bush’s stand on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research (which they frequently misrepresent any way). Be that as it may, I think we could all (well at least I) could learn a lot from Reeve’s courage, determination, and enthusiasm for life.
Sad day, turn from a great actor to a great man those last few years.
My concern is that Kerry and/or his “people” will use Reeve’s personal tragedy, and now his death…
OCBill, apparently your concern was warranted.
It was murder and Oliver Willis did it.
Let’s review…
What is the only thing that could kill superman? Kryptonite.
Who always brags about how much Kryptonite they have? Oliver Willis.
Superman is white.
Oliver hates white people.
Oliver killed Superman because he is white. QED
Condolences to his family and friends.
Not to be weird about this, but I find this celebrity worship in our culture just a little bit underwhelming. What happened to Reeves was sad, but no more or less than what happens to many who endure these types of spinal injuries. To elevate him to some sort of ‘hero’ status denegrates those who are laboring every day in rehab hospitals and physical therapy rooms across the nation. They are the real heros for doing this without the financial resources Reeves was accorded. If we spent 1/2 as much time reading or hearing their stories, we’d be better off for it.
Are we going to debate Embryonic Stem Cell research here, as Reeves (and Kerry) no doubt would want us to? Though not religious or fanatical, I am of the slippery slope school of prognostication, and don’t support widening the scope of what seems unethical medical experimentation.