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NEW YORK Dana Reeve, the inspirational widow of paralyzed "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve, was remembered as "a model of tenacity and grace" Tuesday as it was announced she had died of lung cancer.
The actress and singer, who recently had expressed hope she could beat the killer disease, was 44.
Reeve, a nonsmoker, was best known for standing by her husband through his courageous decade-long battle with paralysis caused by a fall from a horse.
She died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan on Monday, just 15 months after Christopher Reeve succumbed to his injuries. They leave behind their 13-year-old son, Will.
"The brightest light has gone out," said comedian Robin Williams, one of the couple's closest friends. "We will forever celebrate her loving spirit."
Dana Reeve's death came as a shock because she seemed to have the upper hand on the deadly disease since telling the world about her diagnosis last summer, only two days after the death of ABC newsman Peter Jennings.
Two months ago, she looked resplendent as she sang "Now and Forever" at the Madison Square Garden ceremony honoring hockey great Mark Messier, a good friend.
"I'm beating the odds and defying every statistic the doctors can throw at me," Reeve said at the time.
Reeve said she had learned from her late husband's struggle. "I was married to a man who never gave up," she said.
Her death sparked an outpouring from the Reeves' many friends and admirers in Hollywood and Washington, where she was a vocal backer of stem cell research.
Former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Clinton described Reeve as "a model of tenacity and grace."
"Chris was America's superhero, and Dana became our hero, too," added former presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, a close family friend.
Besides Will Reeve, Dana Reeve is survived by two adult stepchildren, Matthew and Alexandra.
Dana Reeve, who lived in Pound Ridge, N.Y., had appeared in Broadway and Off-Broadway productions and on the TV shows "Law & Order," "Oz" and "All My Children."
She married Reeve in 1992 and abandoned her acting career to care for him after he was paralyzed when he fell from a horse in 1995. Christopher Reeve died on Oct. 10, 2004.
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