Christopher Reeve dies at the age of 52.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

This is so sad, because I so wanted this man to someday walk again, and he is somewhere else I am sure.

I just saw the news on CNN as they broke in to let everyone know.

On Saturday he went into a coma, and today his heart gave out.

I will be playing Superman alot this week.

God Bless you Chris.

[hoby12 0]

boo

it is true.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Had to check for myself. This is just terrible, I feel really bad. RIP, and my condolences to his family and friends.

Ray Barnsbury - :cry:

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Sad, sad news. Superman will spend a lot of time in the CD player this week.

- Marc, :cry:

[EvanED 1]

All we need to do is fly around the earth a few times really fast, right?

Right?

[A24 4,367]

Christopher Reeve played the most enchanting Superman ever. He will never get to see the new movie, nor will he have a part in it.

Rest in piece, Chris.

----------------

Alex Cremers

[Olivier 5]

R.I.P.

Christopher Reeve

(1952-2004)

The special effects and John Williams' music made us believe a man could fly.

Christopher Reeve made us believe in the character by portraying the Man of Steel perfectly: gentle & shy as Clark Kent, grand & invicible as Superman. His Superman was surely so beloved because he managed to strike the delicate balance between power & humility in his characterization.

:(livier

[King Mark 3,631]

RIP .Sad news.Just saw it on the news too.

K.M.

[Morlock 11]

:cry: I can't believe it, I always believed he would walk again. And he was such a positive person in his thinking. Very, very sad.

[King Mark 3,631]

He had a pressure wound that got infected,which worsened into a systemic infection that caused a cardiac arrest,they revived him but then he went into coma,then he died.

K.M.

[Danielle 0]

All I can do is echo some of the sentiments already expressed here. :cry: He had me convinced that one day he would walk again.

[Dean1700 4]

This is too great a shock that it is hard to believe. Chris Reeve was the Man of Steel on film but in reality he was just as mortal as the rest of us. He did show just how strong we can all be if we are determined enough.

My sincerest sympathy goes out to his family. Their loss is also ours and we share their sadness however it is those whom he tried so much to help, with his campaigning for greater research, whom have lost the most. They have lost a REAL Superman.

Farewell Chris

Christopher Reeve

(1952 - 10 Oct 2004)

- Dean

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Well said Olivier

[pixie_twinkle 48]

In 1980, at the age of 10, I entered a Cornflakes competition. The prize was to spend the day with Superman at Niagara Falls (the location for Superman II). I never won the prize, but two years ago I finally got to see Niagara Falls. Then last year my childhood dream came true, Christopher Reeve came to give a talk at Kent State University where I am studying. I went to hear what I can only describe as the most uplifting and convincing talk on lifestyle and self-confidence that I had ever heard. I left the hall feeling uplifted, full of life, and convinced that Christopher Reeve would walk again, through sheer strength of will. This news is so upsetting. In Joe's last thread (about the "death" of Patrick Doyle.) I said "Never cry wolf". I wish this had been a joke too.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Marlon Brando and Christopher Reeve in the same year.

Sad, very sad.

[fommes 154]

Rest in peace, Mr Reeve. Mortality is a terrible thing.

[A24 4,367]

R.I.P.

Christopher Reeve

(1952-2004)

The special effects and John Williams' music made us believe a man could fly.

Let's no forget that Chistopher Reeve also lend a helping hand.

[Mari 279]

:cry:

Rest In Peace, Mr. Reeve.

[ChrisAfonso 188]

I've never been very crazy about the film, but this is very sad

[Luke Skywalker 1,807]

Oh my

Luke who just got Superman II and III

[BigKenLittle 6]

I am lost for what to say...

RIP Mr. Reeve

My deep sympathies to his family.

[Lurker 5]

He will be missed but he will always be remembered.

Neil

[QMM 4]

RIP Chris

[Dean1700 4]

I have never been moved as much upon hearing the loss of a celebrity as I have been with Christopher Reeve. I was almost brought to tears when I was writing my first post.

God speed.

:cry:

[Romão 2,276]

He was a very brave man. He'll walk again, somewhere.

Thank you for your shinning example.

[Ricardo224 0]

While his death should be mourned, his life should be celebrated. Christopher was a genuinely ?good guy?.

It took incredible courage to continue a public life after the tragic accident. He fought for better medical research. He never gave up the fight for life. He was a true ?superman?!

Ricardo

[The Prick vs The DD 0]

While his death should be mourned, his life should be celebrated. Christopher was a genuinely “good guy”.

But for now, let's focus on the mourning...afterwards you can celebrate him and his work for an eternity.

Sad, that such a devastating accident completely crushed and crippled him but didn't destroy him physically and mentally, only to be beaten by a resulting simple infection.

Sad, that he did more for mankind as a crippled person, then he ever did playing a superhero.

[Luke Skywalker 1,807]

He will be missed but he will always be remembered.

Neil

Nobody will forget THE Superman. Regardless the new generation things to come.

[John Crichton 4]

I just saw it this morning. Truly sad news. He is Superman for those of us who grew up with his movies.

And now, he is walking again.

[SkyMaker 0]

With the deepest respect I bid him farewell. He was my childhood hero. It was because of Superman, the first of Williams' score that I fell in love with, persuading me to pursue music.

The past 9 years, he has been a powerful example to me of determination, courage and pure will. I was counting that he'd live long enough to see him walk again, and the progress has so promising.

My wife and I are deeply saddened, and we both felt a void in the air.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

I know this must be the least original thing to do, but I think it's the most appropiate:

"But most will remember this sad day as the day the proudest, most noble man they ever knew finally fell. For those who loved him -- one who would call him husband, one who would be his pal, or those who would call him son -- this is the darkest day they could ever imagine. They raised him to be a hero: to know the value of sacrifice, to know the value of life. And for those who served with Superman in the protection of all life comes the shock of a failure: the weight of being too late to help. For a city to live, a man had given his all and more. But it's too late. For this is the day that a Superman died."

That's from the Superman comic number 75, where Superman... Well, it's the highest-selling comic of the past century.

[Kendal_Ozzel 36]

Oh, no. :cry:

I am overwhelmed with sadness. This is terrible news.

I believe that Superman: The Movie is and will always be the greatest comic book movie in the history of cinema. And I know it wouldn't be half that good if it wasn't for Christopher Reeve. I cannot think of any actor more perfect for any role. He made us believe a man could fly.

R.I.P., Mr. Reeve.

"Prelude and Main Title March", followed by "Death of Jonathan Kent" from Superman: The Movie

[Eplicon 53]

This is very sad. I awoke late this morning since I have the day off, and when I began visiting various boards, I couldn't believe the news. He touched and affected so many people. I don't always feel much about the passing of an actor, but with Reeve, this was someone I grew up on and felt a connection to.

Reeve defined Superman for a new generation of people, including mine. Until I saw the first Superman film, I only knew of George Reeves as the live version Superman, and I know to many baby boomers, he is still the Man of Steel. I saw the movie just a year after Star Wars, and for one year, I thought it would be cool to be Luke Skywalker. The following year, I thought it would be cool to be Superman. Coincidentally, not only do the two characters share similar theme music by the same composer, both actors (Reeve & Mark Hamill) have the same birthday, just one year apart. I would pretend to be flying an X-Wing to the Star Wars music in 1977, and in 1978, I would pretend to fly around to the Superman music. It still do that, actually.

I always thought we would all see the day when medical technology would catch up, and along with his strong mindset, Reeve would actually walk again. But I take solace in knowing the first few steps that he took for everyone else in leading towards a cure will enable others to walk in his place in time.

It was Reeve's convincing performances as Clark/Superman, the great music, the respected treatment that Donner & Mankiewicz put into the first film, that has made always feel the first film as the definitive comic book movie.

Thanks, Mr. Reeve. You can't get hurt horseback riding in the clouds.

[Jim Ware 526]

Very sad news to wake up to on a Monday morning.

RIP Mr. Reeve. You will be missed.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

both actors (Reeve & Mark Hamill) have the same birthday, just one year apart

September 25th.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I felt sad when I heard the news on the radio today.

An icon has passed.

Clear proof that the world is coming to an end, if Superman himself dies of a coronary, what hope have we got.

Christopher Reeve IS Superman.

And not because he was so good in Superman The Movie, but because he was so good in Superman II, Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.

- The Planet Krypton.

[QMM 4]

[Trumpeteer 302]

I believe the only music I want ot hear right now is "Turning Back the World," becaue that's what needs to happen.

I was in the airport when I saw the news. Very, very sad indeed. Among his signature role, he is indeed known for other great performances ("Somewhere in Time," "Above Suspicion," "The Remains of the Day").

This is even sadder because John Kerry mentioned Chris Reeve in the debate Friday, saying he believes Reeve will indeed walk again. Kerry, sadly, got his wish sooner than he -- and we -- expected.

Jeff -- "Turning Back the World" and "End Credits" -- "Superman: The Movie"

[Greg1138 3]

I caught this thread this morning before going to work, and have been wondering all day how to add my contribution to the thread.

What I have found hardest is deciding what Christopher Reeve was to me. Superman was really my first memory of the movies - I grew up worshipping the personificatin of Power, humanity and sympathy that was Mr Reeve - because of course as far as I was concerned at the time he would never be anything else. He was a man I could only ever consider calling "Sir" if I met him in the street. So was he a celebrity then? No - more than that.

He was an inspiration, whether he was Superman to me as a kid, or whether he was fighting to regain control of his own life and movement as an adult.

His contribution to Humanity has been vast - whether in the movies, or in the medical field, or in the downright ballsy "I WILL walk again" attitude - I nearly cried when I heard that he had regained some feeling in his digits - he actually became a Super man, which of course as a kid I always knew he was.

He was a Hero. With a very, VERY capital "H"

Gods bless you Sir, wherever you soar.

Greg

(who really thinks it's high time we had Superman's III and IV released on DVD in the UK - just to see him soar that little bit more as I always knew he could)

[ocelot 508]

Somewhere up in Heaven, he is walking.

[SkyMaker 0]

With the deepest of respect I bid him farewell. He was my childhood hero. It was because of Superman, the first of Williams' score that I fell in love with, which persuaded me to pursue music.  

 

The past 9 years, he has been a powerful example to me, of determination, courage and pure will. I was counting that he'd live long enough to see him walk again, since his progress has been so promising. I will always remember his remarks, about going after one's dreams.  

My wife and I are deeply saddened, and upon hearing of the news, we both felt a void in the air.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Somewhere up in Heaven, he is walking.

no somewhere up in Heaven he is FLYING.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Well yeah, but isn't everyone there flying?

[Lurker 5]

Well yeah, but isn't everyone there flying?

Not at super speed.

Neil

[JoeinAR 1,949]

ABC will run a 1 hour 20/20 special on Chris Reeve tonight hosted by Barbara Walters

[hoby12 0]

Was the death related to his paralysis? Its such a young age for one to die who was so fit in earlier years.

[Eplicon 53]

His paralysis was an indirect cause of his death. It was a bed sore (common for paralysis victims for being immbolile for long stretches at a time) that became severely infected, leading to his body essentially shutting down. His strenuous daily workout and excellent health enabled him to live a lot longer than most people under the same condition.

[da6 0]

I'm lost for words when i read it on the newspaper

He was my first hero and also a true Superman.

I honestly thought he will recover but sadly that was not to be.

Christopher Reeve was the best Superman and there won't be a superman like him.

For all the Superman that have come and gone Christopher Reeves was the one that made us believe that a man can fly .......

My heart and thoughts go out to his family

May he rest in Peace

[Uni 306]

So much of what I wanted to say has already been spoken, and so much of the rest is something I mean to present at a later time in the only real tribute I know to offer (you'll know it when you see it).

What for now, then?

Superman: The Movie was to me what it was to so many of us who cut our cinematic teeth in the late 70's. It was the first "treat movie" to follow Star Wars--the kind where, after wearing your parents out through repeat screenings, you moved on to trying to talk your babysitter into an afternoon matinee. How many other movies could be said to have inspired a generation of kids to tie towels around their neck, run around with their arms thrust in front of them like adrenaline-accelerated zombies, and annoy the snot out of their mothers by popping half the buttons off their shirts when they tore them open to reveal that imaginary "S"?

Unlike many other kid-satisfying films, though, the fun evolved with age. As we grew older, we could begin to respect the movie's cleverness, all those sly one-liners and classic double takes (brilliantly, and without a word, Reeve forever dissolved Clark Kent's legendary connection to the phone booth). Like Star Wars, like Harry Potter, the magic enchanted the adults as deeply as the children.

And none of it would have been possible--not the way it happened, anyway, not the way we will always remember it--without Christopher Reeve.

Ironically, he is in retrospect something of what he was in the film that made him a superstar. Looking back, we see two sides of him, two parts of the individual whole, so alike as to be unmistakably the same man yet so different that it didn't even require a pair of glasses to separate the two identities completely. Mild mannered for so long (and, interestingly, so often playing the Kentish role of writer, too, in films like Deathtrap and Somewhere in Time), he eventually discovered an alternate, and greater, destiny. He retreated for a brief time into his own Fortress of Solitude....and emerged a Man of Steel, an iconic hero for our age. He was every bit as identifiable and appreciated for it, too. I don't think Superman himself would have received so long and sincere an ovation from any group on the planet as Reeve did that first night we saw him again at the Oscars.

It is the way of great men to approach life from a different angle than the rest of the world, to do things in their own order, and through their example offer the rest of us the invaluable perspective we so often lack. We love Christopher Reeve because he was just such a man. First he made us believe a man could fly....then he made us believe a man could walk.

We already miss you, old friend....

- Uni

[John Crichton 4]

ABC will run a 1 hour 20/20 special on Chris Reeve tonight hosted by Barbara Walters

The O'Reilly Factor (Tony Snow was in for O'Reilly tonight) also devoted a segment to Christopher Reeve tonight. Very positive and appropriate. I'm sure that the other cable news prime time shows did something or other on his passing.

John- who is stunned by the number of beloved artists we've lost this year

[Eplicon 53]