October 11, 2004
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Actor, Director and Activist
Christopher Reeve Dies at Age 52
8 minutes ago
To: National Desk
Contact: Wesley Combs, 202-887-0500 ext. 14 wcombs@witeckcombs.com or Glynnis Breen, 202-887-0500 ext. 26, gbreen@witeckcombs.com
BEDFORD, N.Y., Oct. 11 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Christopher Reeve died suddenly at 5:30 p.m. yesterday of heart failure. He was 52 years old.
On Saturday October 9, Reeve fell into a coma after going into cardiac arrest while at home. Reeve was being treated 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. Reeve was admitted to Northern Westchester Hospital on Saturday evening and never regained consciousness. His family was at his side at the time of death.
Dana Reeve, Christopher's wife, issued this 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."
"The family asks that you respect their privacy at this very difficult time, "said Wesley Combs, publicist for Mr. Reeve.
Reeve is survived by his mother Barbara Johnson and his father Franklin Reeve, his brother Benjamin Reeve, his wife Dana, their twelve year old son Will and his two children from a former relationship, Matthew (25) and Alexandra (21).
At this time, no plans for a funeral have been announced. Additional information will be released as soon as it is available. Please visit http:;//www.christopherreeve.org for the most up-to-date information.
For those who care to do so, the family has requested that donations be made in his honor to the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation -- http://www.ChristopherReeve.org. Cards may be sent to the family in care of the Foundation at 500 Morris Avenue, Springfield, NJ 07081.
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/© 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
`Superman' Star Christopher
Reeve, Dies At Age 52
POSTED: 10:34 pm PDT October 10, 2004
UPDATED: 10:41 pm PDT October 10, 2004
BEDFORD, n.y. -- 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, Va.
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 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.
Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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