‘Superman’ Director Regretted Casting Christopher Reeve

Before his death, Reeve was paralyzed from the neck down in 1995 after a severe horse-riding accident at an equestrian competition.

He spent the rest of his life using a wheelchair and a ventilator, becoming a prominent global advocate for spinal cord injury research.

The Hollywood favorite passed away from heart failure caused by complications from an infection.

His crippling accident came on May 27, 1995, when Reeve was participating in an equestrian event in Culpeper, Virginia.

Reeve’s horse abruptly refused a jump.

He was thrown from the horse, landed on his head, and shattered his first and second cervical vertebrae, which severed his spinal cord.

Despite surviving his near-fatal injury and initially grappling with the bleak reality of his condition, Reeve pivoted his career and dedicated his life to disability rights and medical research.

He served as the chairman of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and aggressively lobbied for spinal injury treatments and human embryonic stem cell research.

He also continued his career in entertainment as a director and actor.

Reeve died on October 10, 2004, after suffering a serious systemic infection from a pressure ulcer, which caused a severe reaction and subsequent heart failure.