Movies News

Christopher Reeve Dies Aged 52

By James Wray Oct 11, 2004, 12:01 GMT

SupermanThe 52-year-old had been suffering from an infection as a result of a pressure wound and died on Sunday, his publicist Wesley Combs said. He suffered a cardiac arrest at his New York home and slipped into a coma, Mr Combs added. Reeve was paralysed nine years ago when he broke his neck after being thrown from a horse. He later became an advocate for spinal cord injury research. In recent years, he had regained sensation in some parts of his body. He had also returned to acting, appearing in a 1998 production of Rear Window, a modern version of the Alfred Hitchcock thriller about a man in a wheelchair who becomes convinced that a neighbour has been murdered. The role won him a Screen Actors Guild award. 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." Reeve was a virtual unknown before he shot to superstardom in the 1978 blockbuster Superman. Reeve broke his neck in May 1995 when he was thrown from his horse during an equestrian competition in Culpeper, Virginia. He then became a tireless campaigner for stem cell research, forcing it on to the political agenda.