Charlton Heston Dead at 84

In July 2003, Heston received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House from President George W. Bush.

Academy Award-winning actor and former president of the NRA Charlton Heston died in his Beverly Hills home with Lydia, his wife of 64 years, by his side. He was 84.

(BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. ) - Academy Award-winning actor and former president of the NRA Charlton Heston died in his Beverly Hills home with Lydia, his wife of 64 years, by his side. He was 84.

Heston was known for playing heroic roles, such as Moses in The Ten Commandments, Colonel George Taylor in Planet of the Apes and Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur. Early in his career, he was one of a handful of Hollywood actors to publicly speak out against racism and was active in the civil rights movement.

During the latter part of his movie career, he starred in films such as The Omega Man and Soylent Green, which have a strong environmental message. He was president of the National Rifle Association from 1998 to 2003.

In 1998, shortly after he was elected President of the National Rifle Association, Heston had a hip replacement. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998. Following a course of radiation treatment, the cancer went into remission. In August 2002, Heston publicly announced he was diagnosed with symptoms consistent with Alzheimer's disease. In July 2003, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House from President George W. Bush. In March 2005, various newspapers reported family and friends were apparently shocked by the rapid progression of his illness, and he was sometimes unable to get out of bed. In August 2005, a rumor circulated Heston was hospitalized at a Los Angeles hospital with pneumonia, but this was never confirmed by the family. In April 2006, various news sources reported Heston's illness was at an advanced stage and his family were worried he might not survive the year.

Some information courtesy: Wikipedia