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Christopher Reeve, 52, died of heart failure on Sunday. But he will continue to soar in the minds of movie-goers everywhere as one of the world's most enduring superheroes

BEDFORD, New York - Christopher Reeve, the star of the Superman movies whose near-fatal riding accident nine years ago turned him into a worldwide advocate for spinal cord research, died of heart failure, his publicist said. He was 52.

He fell into a coma last Saturday after going into cardiac arrest while at his New York home and died at 5.30pm on Sunday, his publicist told The Associated Press.

Reeve was being treated at Northern Westchester Hospital at Mount Kisco, New York, for a pressure wound that he developed, a common complication for people living with paralysis.

In the past week, the wound had become severely infected, resulting in a serious systemic infection.

He was admitted to the hospital on Saturday evening and never regained consciousness. His family was at his side at the time of death.

'On behalf of my entire family, I want to thank Northern Westchester Hospital for the excellent care they provided to my husband,' said his wife, Dana, in a statement.

'I also want to thank his personal 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 became famous for his Superman role in the 1978 movie, Superman, and three sequels that followed. He was paralysed in May 1995 after he was thrown from his horse during an equestrian competition in Culpeper, Virginia.

A few months after the accident, he protested against tabloid reports which said he had been pleading to die.

'I have not given up. I will never give up,' he said.

Enduring months of therapy to allow him to breathe for longer and longer periods without a respirator, he began to lobby Congress for better insurance protection against life-changing injuries.

He quickly became a powerful advocate for pushing the boundaries of modern medicine, frequently saying he believed that one day he would walk again.

His New Jersey-based Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation emerged under his star power and relentless fund-raising as a leading source for research money, giving out more than US$42.5 million (S$72.3 million) to neuroscientists.

Source: Superman forever: Straits Times