Did an allergy kill Superman?
SUPERMAN star Christopher Reeve, who survived nine years after an accident left him paralysed, may have died from an allergic reaction to antibiotics, says an expert.
US pathologist Dr Michael Hunter said he believed one of the “industrial strength” antibiotics he took may have triggered “catastrophic events”. These included a heart attack that left him in a coma from which he never recovered.
Reeve’s death in 2004 at the age of 52 is still a mystery. It has now been revealed the star’s death certificate will not be made public until 2029.
“There is no investigation or post-mortem report or any official findings from a medical examiner. There were no blood or urine tests and only conflicting accounts as to the underlying cause of his death,” said Dr Hunter in Autopsy: The Last Hours Of..., a TV documentary to be broadcast in the US tonight. He added media reports at the time which suggested Reeve had sepsis or pneumonia were unlikely.
The wheelchair-bound actor – who vowed he would one day walk again after he was left quadriplegic following a horseriding accident in 1995 – suffered a heart attack the night before his death at home in Bedford, New York.
He was taken to hospital where he lapsed into a coma and died. His wife, Dana, who died two years later, and son Will, then 12, were at his side. Dana and Reeve’s carers said he appeared to go into anaphylactic shock before he was taken to hospital.
Dana earlier told a TV crew Reeve, who played Superman from 1978 to 1987, had suffered allergic reactions over the years. Dr Hunter said: “This version tallies with the fact Reeve had a series of allergies. If these accounts are correct, it is highly possible a toxic reaction to an antibiotic could have led to the death of America’s Superman.”