Christopher Reeve

Christopher Reeve, the screen and stage actor who starred in Superman films and who became an international advocate for spinal cord research after a near-fatal equestrian accident nine years ago in Culpeper, Va., died on Sunday.

He was 52.

After heart failure at 5:30pm, America's super hero was set free to fly again.

Wesley Combs, Reeve's publicist, said in a statement that Reeve was being treated 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. Reeve was admitted to Northern Westchester Hospital on Saturday evening and never regained consciousness, according to the statement.

His family was at his side when he died.

Survivors include his wife, Dana, his mother, Barbara Johnson, his father, Franklin Reeve, his brother, Benjamin Reeve, and three children, Will (12), Matthew (25) and Alexandra (21).

Reeve played "Superman" on the silver screen. Reeve said of playing The Man of Steel, "What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and maturity to use it wisely."

Reeve became a true Superman after the accident that left him paralyzed. He used the power of his fame wisely to promote a cure for spinal injuries. In doing so, Reeve was an inspiration to us all.

In 1999, Christopher and Dana formed a foundation to boost collaboration between experts working on the problem and to encourage new approaches.

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.

Doctors initially predicted he would never have any feeling or movement below his head.

But his foundation, CRPF, said he had experienced a degree of recovery that his doctors considered "remarkable."

Reeve was a strong supporter of the research using human stem cells, which his foundation described as having "enormous therapeutic utility."

To learn more about his foundation and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center, go to: Paralysis.org.

In honor of Christopher Reeve and in support of all those suffering from paralysis, please send donations to:

Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF)
500 Morris Avenue
Springfield, NJ 07081

Cards to his family may also be sent to this address.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Christopher Reeve's family and friends.

-Tim