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`Superman' Star Christopher Reeve Dies

Just heard it on the news.

link

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.
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He was a relentless spokesperson for spinal injury research. Such a shame.
 
His life was too short and too tragic. Very, very sad.

But we'll always remember his crusadership for such things as stem cell and functional electrical stimulation (FES) research.

Remember when he re-made "Rear Window" with himself in the Jimmy Stewart role? I thought that was a brilliant idea.
 
Man, I just read this online. This was really shocking 'cause I assumed he was doing so well now.

Thank for doing all you've done.

R.I.P.
 
So sad, especially to go from a complication to an infection....and its hard to imagine for the past nine years he'd been in a wheel chair. The Superman movies were not that great, especially by todays super hero movie standards, but I'm thinking he's going to be remembered more for his work on trying to find cures for paralysis.

D
 
I heard this on the news this morning - I didn't even know that he had been fighting an infection or anything like that. It was quite a shock. I hope that the work he has been doing relative to raising money for spinal/paralysis research continues.
 
I loved all the Superman movies as a kid. They were a large part of my childhood. Christopher Reeves will forever be associated with that character adn vice versa in my mind.

He will be missed.
 
Presidential race/politcal BS aside:

WE NEED STEM CELL RESEARCH. Not just for the sake of the paralyzed, but the many other diseases that can benefit.

Christopher Reeve will be sorely missed. May he finally rest in peace
 
Quash the political stuff NOW, folks. :mad:

It truly is a tragedy that he has passed on at such a young age and that one of the most influential and outspoken advocates for paralysis research is no longer out there fighting for what he believes.

In more ways than one, he was a superman. RIP.
 
My prayers go out to his family and friends. May he rest in peace. Now he can walk in freedom and without pain. :(
 
With all due respect, Christopher Reeve should be praised for his theatrical talents, not for the "passion" that stemmed (no pun intended) from his vociferous pursuit of legislation to support stem-cell research. He did as any man would; he used finances, personal connections, and public awareness to drive support for research that would ultimately restore his health. Before he became a quadriplegic he didn't speak a single word to the public about stem-cell research.

My intention is not to minimize the man's death at all. I just think it's important that people realize that stem-cell research only became an issue for him once it directly affected him. Prior to that, he was simply a great actor.
 
frozenstar said:
With all due respect, Christopher Reeve should be praised for his theatrical talents, not for the "passion" that stemmed (no pun intended) from his vociferous pursuit of legislation to support stem-cell research. He did as any man would; he used finances, personal connections, and public awareness to drive support for research that would ultimately restore his health. Before he became a quadriplegic he didn't speak a single word to the public about stem-cell research.

My intention is not to minimize the man's death at all. I just think it's important that people realize that stem-cell research only became an issue for him once it directly affected him. Prior to that, he was simply a great actor.
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That seems to be the way that most humans react. Once affected by such an incident, then becoming outspoken on the subject. I have heard from researches that he brought the research into spinal cord injury to the forefront. Prior to him it was called an orphan disease. Because of his money and celebrity, he was able to raise money for research and treatment of spinal cord injury. My hope is that all types of treatment will be researched. Focusing just on one treatment would be a mistake.
 
frozenstar said:
My intention is not to minimize the man's death at all. I just think it's important that people realize that stem-cell research only became an issue for him once it directly affected him. Prior to that, he was simply a great actor.
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That's the way medical publicity and fundraising efforts almost always begin. People's eyes are opened to an area that needs research when it is personal -- either they are affected or somebody close to them or important to them is affected. At that point, some people just try to cope, and others jump in with two feet and do their best to help not only themselves but others suffering similar circumstances. To say that this isn't commendable isn't fair.
 
Doctor Q said:
That's the way medical publicity and fundraising efforts almost always begin. People's eyes are opened to an area that needs research when it is personal -- either they are affected or somebody close to them or important to them is affected. At that point, some people just try to cope, and others jump in with two feet and do their best to help not only themselves but others suffering similar circumstances. To say that this isn't commendable isn't fair.
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Perhaps you're right. I wasn't being entirely fair. I just want people to realize that Reeve's support for stem-cell research was driven by selfish reasons, not selfless ones. But in the process, I admit, he benefited many others. So, I partly retract my original statement. Reeve deserves some credit for his contribution to stem-cell research, just not as much as many people have implied.

I'm working my way up to diplomat status. Think I'll ever make it??? :D
 
frozenstar said:
Reeve deserves some credit for his contribution to stem-cell research, just not as much as many people have implied.
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That could be. I don't know enough about his background to judge. Did he do any public service work before his accident? That's probably a better way to judge his character than what he did post-injury. Sorry to jump on you about your post; I just know that a lot of good has come out of people who combine their self interest with the public interest. It certainly gives you an incentive to do a good job!

I'm working my way up to diplomat status. Think I'll ever make it???
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Sure. Sounds like an interesting career to have.
 
Doctor Q said:
That's the way medical publicity and fundraising efforts almost always begin. People's eyes are opened to an area that needs research when it is personal -- either they are affected or somebody close to them or important to them is affected. At that point, some people just try to cope, and others jump in with two feet and do their best to help not only themselves but others suffering similar circumstances. To say that this isn't commendable isn't fair.
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I disagree and say that it is too fair. You essentially state in the above paragraph that this is the way attention to such issues almost always begins. Thus you state it is a basic, predicatble, element of STANDARD human behavior. Standard human behavior isn't commendable... It's standard. Rising above the standard; for instance, someone supporting a cause that has nothing to do with their own personal gain; is quite different. Had he stood up for this cause before his accident, or some other cause, I would consider him commendable. However, as it stands, his actions were just as commendable as my standard human behavior of "writing" my name when I have to pee in a snow laden area.
 
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