Seventeen months after losing his dad, Christopher Reeve, to heart failure, Will's mother, Dana, died of cancer. Here's what happened to the young teen next
Will Reeve was just three years old when his dad, Superman actor Christopher Reeve, was paralyzed from the neck down in a horse riding accident. Eight years later, after living an inspiring life as a quadriplegic, Christopher died of heart failure at the age of 52 in 2004.
The family was still in mourning when the unthinkable happened: Will's mother, Dana Reeve, who had devoted herself to caring for her husband while also being a phenomenal mom to Will, was diagnosed with lung cancer despite never having smoked.
Just 17 months after the death of her husband, Dana tragically died in March 2006, leaving Will an orphan at 13.
However, Will tells PEOPLE that he received an extraordinary amount of support from family and friends.
"I moved in with our beloved neighbors who were our best friends," he explains of what happened next. "And that's been such an unlikely, amazing experience for almost 20 years."
His older half-siblings, Matthew and Alexandra, were also fixtures in his life, acting as parental figures as much as they were siblings.
"Matthew and Al, always in my life, not just in the hard times, have been sources of such strength and support and joy and love for me," he says.
"I mean, everybody came through," he adds. " I think it was an all-hands-on-deck situation. My maternal grandparents, Charles and Helen Morini, were unbelievably indispensable. And we were fortunate enough to live in a tight-knit community. We had big groups of friends and teachers and coaches and people from the past and people from the present just chipping in however they could always."
He says, "It's like they say, it takes a village. And the village responded to our situation in such a substantial and impactful way."
As much as he felt supported and loved, he still missed his mother desperately — and always will.
"My mom was maybe the most special person ever to grace this earth," he says of Dana. "My mom's predilection for caregiving and showing compassion to all she encountered was innate to her. She didn't have to wake up every day and decide to take care of our family. It's who she was."
He says these days, he puts in the work in therapy to navigate the profound losses.
"Putting one foot in front of the other does not mean ignoring the issue. It just means that you carry on, but you bring the baggage with you, and you still have to soldier on," Will explains.
He continues, "Grief is permanent. The people we love who we lose are gone forever from this earth, but we carry their memories, their spirit, and their values with us forever. And by orienting ourselves around the love that we feel for those we have lost, we honor them. And that helps us heal."
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How Will Reeve Found Support After Losing His Parents
Will Reeve, the son of Christopher Reeve, lost his parents at a young age. His father, the iconic Superman actor, died in 2004 after years of living with paralysis following a horse riding accident. Then, in 2006, his mother, Dana Reeve, passed away from lung cancer, just 17 months after Christopher's death. This left Will an orphan at the age of 13.
The loss of both parents at such a young age was a devastating experience for Will, and he shares how he coped with the pain in the film Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. "That's when I realized I was completely alone," he says in the film, reflecting on the time of his mother's passing. Despite this profound loss, Will found solace in the love and support of his family and friends.
He moved in with his beloved neighbors, who were also his best friends, and continued to rely on the support of his siblings, Matthew and Alexandra. They provided him with the love and guidance he needed, acting as parental figures in addition to being siblings.
Will also found support from his maternal grandparents, Charles and Helen Morini, who were "unbelievably indispensable." He shared how grateful he was to live in a community that rallied around him, providing comfort and support. "It's like they say, it takes a village. And the village responded to our situation in such a substantial and impactful way," he said.
The Lasting Impact of Grief
Even with the love and support of his family and friends, Will's grief over the loss of his parents was undeniable. "My mom was maybe the most special person ever to grace this earth," he said. "My mom's predilection for caregiving and showing compassion to all she encountered was innate to her. She didn't have to wake up every day and decide to take care of our family. It's who she was."
Will acknowledged the permanent nature of grief and the importance of carrying on with life while cherishing the memories of those lost. "Putting one foot in front of the other does not mean ignoring the issue. It just means that you carry on, but you bring the baggage with you, and you still have to soldier on," he shared. "Grief is permanent. The people we love who we lose are gone forever from this earth, but we carry their memories, their spirit, and their values with us forever. And by orienting ourselves around the love that we feel for those we have lost, we honor them. And that helps us heal."
Will Reeve's story is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of love and support in the face of profound loss. He honors the memory of his parents by carrying on with his life, while embracing the love they gave him and the lessons they taught him. It's a powerful reminder that even in the darkest of times, we can find strength and hope in the love of those around us.
