Post by Taxigirl on Oct 12, 2004 10:38:51 GMT
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3735052.stm
US President George W Bush and his political opponent John Kerry have paid tribute to Superman star Christopher Reeve, who died on Sunday aged 52.
Mr Bush praised Reeve as both an actor and an advocate for the disabled, while Democratic candidate John Kerry described him as a "hero".
Reeve, who became paralysed after a riding accident in 1995, died of heart failure in hospital in New York.
Fans gathered on Hollywood's Walk of Fame with candles and flowers.
Reeve was known as an advocate of stem cell research, a divisive issue in the 2004 presidential election since President Bush limited its funding on ethical grounds.
Mr Bush praised Reeve on Monday as an "example of personal courage, optimism and self-determination", admired by millions of Americans.
"He will be remembered as an accomplished actor and for his dedicated advocacy for those with physical disabilities," the president and Republican candidate said, offering his condolences.
John Kerry, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, hailed Reeve as a campaigner for new medical research.
"Without leaving his wheelchair, he was able to make great strides toward a cure for conditions like his," Kerry said.
"I know that one day we will realise Chris's inevitable dream."
The candidate added that he had received a message on his mobile phone from Reeve just before he was admitted to hospital in which he expressed pleasure that Mr Kerry had raised the issue in Friday's presidential debate with Mr Bush.
"He was so thrilled about where the discussion of stem cell research had come to," said Mr Kerry.
Tokens of mourning were placed around Reeve's star and plaque, etched onto the pavement of Los Angeles's Hollywood Boulevard.
"He had such a sweet soul and he tried to do so much for people, and worked so hard to make a comeback," one unidentified fan told KNX radio.
The actor Robin Williams, who studied with Reeve at New York's Julliard School of drama, said the world had lost a "tremendous activist and artist" while he had lost a "great friend".
Freed at last
Reeve broke his neck in May 1995 when he was thrown from his horse during an equestrian competition in Culpeper, Virginia.
At the time, he was a worldwide star for having played the lead role in Superman in 1978 and its three sequels.
As a campaigner, he was to be seen regularly at the US Congress, lobbying for better funding.
Raymond Onders, his doctor, said most people suffering a similar spinal injury live for about seven years but Reeve had managed to survive for nine.
Reeve died in hospital on Sunday after suffering a heart attack and falling into a coma at his home. He was being treated for an infection caused by a bedsore.
The star's wife, actress Dana Reeve, issued a statement thanking his fans for all their support over the years while his mother, Barbara Johnson, said she was glad he was finally "free of all those tubes".
Christopher Reeve's family has asked that any donations should be made to the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, based in New Jersey.
US President George W Bush and his political opponent John Kerry have paid tribute to Superman star Christopher Reeve, who died on Sunday aged 52.
Mr Bush praised Reeve as both an actor and an advocate for the disabled, while Democratic candidate John Kerry described him as a "hero".
Reeve, who became paralysed after a riding accident in 1995, died of heart failure in hospital in New York.
Fans gathered on Hollywood's Walk of Fame with candles and flowers.
Reeve was known as an advocate of stem cell research, a divisive issue in the 2004 presidential election since President Bush limited its funding on ethical grounds.
Mr Bush praised Reeve on Monday as an "example of personal courage, optimism and self-determination", admired by millions of Americans.
"He will be remembered as an accomplished actor and for his dedicated advocacy for those with physical disabilities," the president and Republican candidate said, offering his condolences.
John Kerry, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, hailed Reeve as a campaigner for new medical research.
"Without leaving his wheelchair, he was able to make great strides toward a cure for conditions like his," Kerry said.
"I know that one day we will realise Chris's inevitable dream."
The candidate added that he had received a message on his mobile phone from Reeve just before he was admitted to hospital in which he expressed pleasure that Mr Kerry had raised the issue in Friday's presidential debate with Mr Bush.
"He was so thrilled about where the discussion of stem cell research had come to," said Mr Kerry.
Tokens of mourning were placed around Reeve's star and plaque, etched onto the pavement of Los Angeles's Hollywood Boulevard.
"He had such a sweet soul and he tried to do so much for people, and worked so hard to make a comeback," one unidentified fan told KNX radio.
The actor Robin Williams, who studied with Reeve at New York's Julliard School of drama, said the world had lost a "tremendous activist and artist" while he had lost a "great friend".
Freed at last
Reeve broke his neck in May 1995 when he was thrown from his horse during an equestrian competition in Culpeper, Virginia.
At the time, he was a worldwide star for having played the lead role in Superman in 1978 and its three sequels.
As a campaigner, he was to be seen regularly at the US Congress, lobbying for better funding.
Raymond Onders, his doctor, said most people suffering a similar spinal injury live for about seven years but Reeve had managed to survive for nine.
Reeve died in hospital on Sunday after suffering a heart attack and falling into a coma at his home. He was being treated for an infection caused by a bedsore.
The star's wife, actress Dana Reeve, issued a statement thanking his fans for all their support over the years while his mother, Barbara Johnson, said she was glad he was finally "free of all those tubes".
Christopher Reeve's family has asked that any donations should be made to the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, based in New Jersey.