Dana Reeve, who worked with her husband Christopher Reeve to find a cure for spinal cord injuries, has died of lung cancer. She was 44.

Reeve died late Monday, the chief executive officer of the Christopher Reeve Foundation said in a statement.

Christopher and Dana Reeve in 2003 at the Christopher Reeve Foundation gala in New York. (AP Photo/Stuart Ramson)
Christopher and Dana Reeve in 2003 at the Christopher Reeve Foundation gala in New York. (AP Photo/Stuart Ramson)

"On behalf of the entire board of directors and staff of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, we are extremely saddened by the death of Dana Reeve, whose grace and courage under the most difficult of circumstances was a source of comfort and inspiration to all of us," said Kathy Lewis.

Reeve, a non-smoker, announced she had lung cancer in August 2005, about a year after her actor husband died.

Best known for his film role as Superman, Christopher Reeve died of heart failure in October 2004. He had been paralyzed nine years earlier after seriously injuring his spine in a horse-riding accident.

The couple started the foundation after Christopher was paralyzed. It raises money for research on spinal cord injuries and has awarded roughly $63 million in research grants.

Dana Reeve is survived by Will, her 13-year-old son with Christopher, as well as her father, two sisters and Christopher's two adult children from a previous relationship.