It was an appearance that would have made Christopher Reeve and his wife Dana very proud. This week, the actor's three children, William, Alexandra and Matthew Reeve, stood united as they honoured their father's memory at a charity gala in New York. The trio headed out together for the gala, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation: A Magical Evening, which is held annually to raise money for research into spinal cord injuries.
They warmly welcomed guests to the event, including Meredith Vieira, Robin Williams' son Zac, model Hedvig Palm and Billy Joel's musician daughter Alexa Ray Joel, who provided the entertainment. Matthew, 35, and Alexandra, 31, are Christopher's children from his first partner Gae Exton, while 22-year-old William is her son with late wife Dana. The two boys, who share their father's good looks, were suited and booted for the evening, while sister Alexandra looked elegant in a light blue chiffon gown.
Superman star Christopher set up the foundation after his devastating horseriding accident in May 1995. Dana, who remained devoted to her husband during his 10 years of paralysis, continued to champion the cause after his death in October 2004. Dana herself sadly passed away just 17 months later at the age of 44 from lung cancer. Her name was added to the foundation to recognise her and Christopher's love and dedication to the cause, and to each other. The 10th October marked the tenth anniversary of Christopher's death. His son Matthew publicly remembered his father, who was 52 when he died, during an appearance at Comic Con in New York.
"I absolutely understand how everyone sees him as Superman," he said. "To me he was dad and he was just awesome. He could fly an airplane, he could sail a boat, he was an accomplished piano player. Just the other day, I found some of his stuff and it had this sheet music in it… To me, it looked like someone had just taken ink and thrown it at the page, but he minored in music theory." The 34-year-old said that things like table manners were important in the household, and "all the stuff that dads and kids usually go through". "He was also gigantic, 6 ft 4, and muscular, so even more intimidating," he added. "But he was just great, really wonderful."