Actor Christopher Reeve, who flew across the silver screen as Superman then became a leading advocate for spinal cord research after a paralyzing riding accident in 1995, has died of heart failure.

He was 52.

Reeve had been getting treatment at an upstate New York hospital for a pressure wound, a common complication for people living with paralysis. Over the past week, the wound had become severely infected, and infection spread through his blood system.

Christopher Reeve in May 2003. (AP Photo)
Christopher Reeve in May 2003. (AP Photo)

On Saturday, Reeve fell into a coma after going into cardiac arrest. He died at his New York home late Sunday, said his publicist Wesley Combs.

The six-foot-four Reeve became paralyzed from the neck down nine years ago after being thrown from his horse during an equestrian competition in Virginia. After months of therapy, he was able to breathe on his own.

Actor Christopher Reeve is shown in a scene from the film \
Actor Christopher Reeve is shown in a scene from the film "Superman." (AP File Photo/DC Comics)

He became an advocate for people living with paralysis, lobbying the U.S. Congress for better insurance protection and pushing for stem-cell research.

In 1998, he returned to directing and acting in the television production Rear Window, a modern update of the Hitchcock thriller about a man in a wheelchair who becomes convinced a neighbour has been murdered. He won the Screen Actors Guild award for best actor in a television movie or mini-series.

He never gave in to his injury. Through a special exercise regimen, he slowly retained some sensation and was even able to move his index finger.

Canadian actress Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane alongside Reeve in the four Superman films, said it is rare to have such a real impact on people's lives.

"What's amazing about Christopher is that he was able to move people and inspire people," said Kidder, from her home in Montana.