Christopher Reeve probably would have preferred to be only an actor. But it was his fate to be a Superman. On screen and off.
The actor who convinced movie audiences that a son of Krypton could fly and later inspired a nation to believe that a paralyzed man could walk again, died Sunday at a New York hospital, his publicist announced. He was 52.
Reeve, immobilized from the neck down in a 1995 horse-riding accident, fell into a coma Saturday at his New York home after experiencing cardiac arrest. The film star was transported to the hospital, but never regained consciousness. His death, at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, was described as sudden.
In a statement, Reeve's wife, Dana Reeve, thanked the hospital and the family's 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 starred as iconic red-white-and-blue superhero Superman in four movies, from 1978's Superman to 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
After his accident, he became an advocate for spinal cord injury research.
