Dana Reeve, Who Led Christopher Reeve Foundation Honoring Husband, Dies of Cancer

Dana Reeve died at the ageof 34 from lung cancer Photo Courtesy: mediasearch.com.au

(Short Hills, N.J. AP) - Dana Reeve, who fought for better treatments and possible cures for paralysis through a foundation named for her late actor-husband, has died. She was 44.

The Christopher Reeve Foundation says the wife of the actor of "Superman" fame died late Monday of lung cancer.

Kathy Lewis, president and C-E-O of the foundation, issued a statement saying the death is saddening and that Dana Reeve's "grace and courage under the most difficult of circumstances was a source of comfort and inspiration."

Reeve stood by her husband after he was left paralyzed by a horse riding accident.

She never smoked, but was diagnosed with lung cancer in August of last year.

The American Lung Association says twenty percent of non-smokers die from lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the U.S.