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Showbiz Tonight

Dana Reeve Dies of Lung Cancer

Aired March 07, 2006 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST: I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. TV`s only live entertainment news show starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER (voice-over): On SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, shocking news that leaves everyone shaken: Dana Reeve dead from the lung cancer that attacked her less than one year ago.

DANA REEVE, SPINAL CORD ACTIVIST: Well, it isn`t fair but I think that I learned a long time ago that life just isn`t fair, so you better stop expecting it to be.

HAMMER: Tonight, a tribute to Dana Reeve`s amazing life: the wife, the caregiver, the inspiration to so many others.

DIANA SAWYER, CO-HOST, ABC`S "GOOD MORNING AMERICA": We met in the course of doing interviews. And I immediately knew I was in the presence of something rare and magical.

HAMMER: Dana Reeve`s famous friends and supporters pay tribute to one of the most beloved women in Hollywood, her determination, her spirit. Tonight the remarkable memories she leaves behind.

Dana, Christopher, and the legacy of the Reeves, a couple who faced challenge after challenge and tackled each one bravely, side by side. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the other Hollywood couples facing adversity together and making a dramatic difference in the lives of so many others.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Hi there. I`m Brooke Anderson, live in Hollywood.

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer, live in New York City.

Dana Reeve has died. It is chilling to even say that, because here was a woman that e had rooted for, who had been at the side of her husband, Christopher Reeve.

And tonight from around the country, the tributes are just pouring in. Hard to say what really made the news sadder here, that she was only 44, that she was so optimistic about beating the cancer that eventually killed her, or that her 13-year-old son has now lost both parents within two years. By any measure it is a heartbreaking story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA WALTER, CO-HOST, ABC`S "THE VIEW": Forgive me, I`m a little emotional about this. Dana Reeve, the widow of Christopher Reeve, died late last night of lung cancer.

HAMMER: The news came as a shock to the audience of "The View" this morning. Dana Reeve, for years the tireless caretaker and devoted wife to "Superman" star Christopher Reeve, had lost her brief battle with lung cancer.

On "The Today Show," just minutes after learning of Reeve`s death, Matt Lauer and Katie Couric were virtually speechless.

MATT LAUER, CO-HOST, NBC`S "THE TODAY SHOW": I`m sitting here in stunned silence.

This is just such shocking news in such a short amount of time.

KATIE COURIC, CO-HOST, NBC`S "THE TODAY SHOW": It hits you in the gut.

HAMMER: Reeve was diagnosed with lung cancer last August, less than a year after her husband`s death in 2004. The diagnosis was all the more shocking because she was a non-smoker.

D. REEVE: My prognosis looks better all the time, I`m happy to report.

HAMMER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT was there just last November when Reeve was the picture of optimism at a star-studded fund-raiser for the Christopher Reeve Foundation.

D. REEVE: I have the best inspiration, following in my husband`s footsteps and beating the odds and defying every statistic the doctors can throw at me.

HAMMER: But as CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta told viewers today, lung cancer is one of the toughest cancers to fight.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, we focus a lot on breast cancer. We focus a lot on colon cancer, prostate, but lung cancer is the deadliest of all the cancers. About 60 percent of people who get lung cancer die within the first year.

HAMMER: Dana Reeve leaves behind her son with Christopher Reeve, 13- year-old Will, and today stars who know the Reeve family are remembering Dana. Reeve family friend Robin Williams says, quote, "The brightest light has gone out. We will forever celebrate her loving spirit."

In a statement, Catherine Zeta-Jones tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, quote, "She was an inspirational woman who showed great courage and grace throughout her life."

And Jane Seymour, who starred with Christopher Reeve in the 1980 romance fantasy, "Somewhere in Time", is remembering the Reeves` great real life love affair. She says, quote, "When Chris called me and told me he had found the love of his life, he described Dana as a beautiful woman who sang like an angel. She was his angel."

Dana Reeve was an accomplished singer/actress who put her own career on hold to be a caregiver and companion to her husband after the horse accident that paralyzed him more than a decade ago. Soon after his death in October of 2004, she talked about his legacy on "LARRY KING LIVE."

D. REEVE: He just -- he really believed and lived nothing is impossible.

HAMMER: After Reeve died, Dana Reeve succeeded him as chair of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, which is working for a cure for spinal cord paralysis. Today that organization is vowing to continue their fight.

KATHY LEWIS, CHRISTOPHER REEVE FOUNDATION: You know what? The goals of the foundation really are in the spirit of Dana and Chris. It`s to continue funding incredibly cutting-edge research all over the world and to continue to improve the quality of life of those living with paralysis and their families and their friends. And that is our goal. That was their goal. And we are emboldened to go forward to make that a reality.

HAMMER: And it is Dana Reeve`s legacy that will last, in the words of the song she sang at one of her final public appearances, "Now and Forever."

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: That was Dana Reeve singing at the New York Rangers` tribute to the hockey great Mark Messier this past January.

In a statement today, he told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that Dana Reeve`s, quote, "courage and determination to continue to champion the efforts of her late husband will continue to provide inspiration to us all."

And joining us live is a friend and colleague of Dana Reeve from the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, Joe Canose, who is the director of the foundation`s paralysis resource center.

Joe, I appreciate you being with us on what has to be an incredibly difficult day. Our condolences go out to you and your colleagues. It has to just be an impossible time for you, I imagine.

JOE CANOSE, CHRISTOPHER REEVE PARALYSIS FOUNDATION: Well, thank you, A.J. It is a difficult day today. But we learned from Dana that one has to step up and face adversity, no matter what you`re thrown.

HAMMER: And you worked with her side by side at the foundation. I know the e-mails and phone calls have to have been pouring in al day long. What types of things have people been saying?

CANOSE: Well, I think a lot of people are telling us from their hearts that they`re truly, truly feeling the grief of the loss of this very wonderful person. And they are very supportive of us continuing their work, as we plan to do.

HAMMER: It is amazing how far reaching this is and how many people`s lives she touched with her story. Everybody just amazed and inspired by the way that she handled her husband, Christopher`s, battle, and then her own, which really says so much about her character, doesn`t it?

CANOSE: Oh, it does. There are hundreds of thousands of people living in this country with paralysis that knew how much Dana really meant what she was doing and that she was truly going to accomplish great things. And she has by continuing the work that Chris started with the foundation.

HAMMER: And that will be part of her legacy, the work that she did with the foundation. Talk to me about some of the work that still has to be done, because that will be her continuing legacy, all of the things that you still want to accomplish. So what are some of the big dreams and some of the big goals that she has sort of set the standard for you guys to do?

CANOSE: Well, without a doubt, finding a cure for paralysis is what the foundation is all about. And we will continue to move forward with that.

But at the same time, Dana really focused on helping people in the here and now, providing services for them through our quality of life grant program, through the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center. So those are the kinds of things that Dana was really interested in at the foundation and what`s really going to be what we do going forward while we continue to fund research for that cure.

HAMMER: And I mentioned that you guys worked side by side. You really were friends, above colleagues, from what I understand. Is there a personal memory of Dana that you could share, something that you`ll always treasure?

CANOSE: Well, without -- I think for me those grant meetings when we were reviewing the applications that came in went on for hours. And Dana came down to the resource center. She sat there, went through all of those applications. She really put her heart and soul into this. And I`ll never forget the kind of commitment that she showed and what she taught us all about how we need to work together to be able to beat this thing.

HAMMER: And she lived her life in a very public way. Is there something that we never saw, a side of Dana that we didn`t get a piece of that people might be surprised to know about?

CANOSE: Well, I don`t know. I think that people need to understand that Dana was first and foremost a mother and a wife, and she was very serious about that. Those were the things that were most important to her. Everything else that the public saw, I think, was true, but she was very committed to her family.

HAMMER: Joe Canose, director of the Christopher Reeve Foundation`s paralysis resource center. I want to thank you for joining us and, again, really our heartfelt condolences today.

CANOSE: Thank you, A.J.

HAMMER: And now we would like to hear from you. We want to know your thoughts about Dana Reeve`s life and legacy. You can get them to us by sending us an e-mail at ShowbizTonight@CNN.com. A little later in the program, we`ll read some of what you have to say.

ANDERSON: Tonight we do have some good news, and it is about ABC anchorman Bob Woodruff. You remember Woodruff was injured, along with ABC cameraman Doug Vogt, in a roadside bombing in Iraq January 29.

Woodruff remains hospitalized but he has started speaking again and is able to take a few steps. Today on "Good Morning America," Woodruff`s brother, Dave, gave a progress report. He said his brother is recognizing people and was able to tell his daughter that he loves her.

Still, Woodruff`s brother says the family recognizes there is still a long way to go but that this is a more than welcome improvement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE WOODRUFF, BOB WOODRUFF`S BROTHER: He`s on very heavy pain medication still. I think it`s -- he`s not talking up a blue streak. He`s not sitting there having long conversations with anybody. He`s, you know, a couple of sentences there, a few words there.

But the great news about that is he`s communicating with everybody around him. He recognizes people. He talks about, you know, things all over the board. But he`s definitely -- definitely doing so much better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Dave Woodruff also said that his brother, Bob, speaks several languages and he has even been speaking in German and Chinese.

HAMMER: Well, Madonna answers some pretty tough questions from her daughter about that infamous kiss we all remember that she had with Britney Spears. We`re going to tell you how Madonna is explaining it all to her daughter, coming up next.

ANDERSON: And the president from "24" is back on TV fighting the bad guys. We`re in good hands with Dennis Haysbert, coming up live. It`s the interview you`ll see only on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.

Also coming up...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

D. REEVE: Life has a lot of joy and laughter, even amidst pain and hardship.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Over the years CNN`s Larry King interviewed both Dana and Christopher Reeve many times. Larry is going to join us live with his thoughts on this very sad day. That`s still to come.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

D. REEVE: I have gotten so much support from friends and family and really everyone. And I have to thank all of you for being so respectful of my privacy during this time and, also, I thank just -- I`ve gotten letters and I`ve gotten more prayer shawls than I know what to do with of people who have sent just warm things and warm thoughts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson, live, in Hollywood, and this is TV`s only live entertainment news show.

Tonight, Madonna`s daughter wants to know, is her mommy gay? In the April issue of "Out" magazine, Madonna says 9-year-old Lourdes asked her if she likes women because of her kiss with Britney Spears at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. Madonna told her it was just a kiss and, quote, "I am the mommy pop star and she is the baby pop star, and I am kissing her to pass my energy on to her."

Madonna also adds that Lourdes is obsessed with who is gay and likes to point out gay men when they are out together.

HAMMER: Well, if you don`t know him as President David Palmer from the hit FOX show "24," you will certainly recognize him as the trustworthy man who regularly asks you if you`re in good hands on those Allstate commercials.

Now Dennis Haysbert is back on the federal payroll, so to speak, in a new CBS action drama called "The Unit." He plays the head of an elite Special Forces team that goes on undercover missions around the globe. Dennis Haysbert is joining me live here in New York City.

It`s a pleasure to have you on the program.

DENNIS HAYSBERT, ACTOR: Thank you, A.J. It`s good to be here.

HAMMER: I hope you enjoyed your weekend in New York. I know you were on "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend.

HAYSBERT: Yes, that was a kick.

HAMMER: And on "24" I have to tell you, I was a little shocked and dismayed when your character was surprisingly killed off. Fans all over the Internet were talking about it. Were you shocked? Did you know this was coming?

HAYSBERT: I knew it was coming. They discussed it with me three episodes into the last six that I did for them in season four. And I said no at first. I said, there`s no way I was going to put this on screen. And I was convinced by a friend of mine who is one of the producers that`s running the show this year to do it.

But I think if I had to do it over again, I`d say no. I just think it leaves -- it`s a bad message.

HAMMER: It just bummed a lot of people out.

HAYSBERT: Yes.

HAMMER: And I`m on that list. Why do you think it leaves a bad message, though?

HAYSBERT: Well, for the fact that it was the first African-American president on national television in a three-dimensional role, and they chose to, you know, kill him to start a season. And I understand why they did it. But I think -- I think it -- I think it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the people of this country.

HAMMER: Well, it was such a positive step. It really was. And I definitely can relate to you on that.

HAYSBERT: And I`m very thankful that I had that role for four years.

HAMMER: And I believe I remember -- I think it was on the night you got killed off that the Allstate commercial appeared in the program.

HAYSBERT: Right afterwards.

HAMMER: Which was -- we were talking about that the next morning in our little SHOWBIZ TONIGHT morning meeting. Of course, people know you from this commercial. You were deemed as -- by marketers as one of the most trustworthy people to have as a spokesperson. In fact, the editor of "Variety" magazine calls something the "Haysbert Factor," the trustworthiness.

HAYSBERT: That`s interesting.

HAMMER: I`m sitting right here with you and I want to buy something from you.

HAYSBERT: Bless you.

HAMMER: What is it about you that you think makes you so appealing?

HAYSBERT: I think it`s playing the president for four years and being named a spokesperson for an insurance company that has a very strong legal department that I -- we cannot lie about what we give them. I`m not really a pitch man. I`m more of an advocate. So yes, that`s just the way I am.

HAMMER: So you`re pretty selective about the commercials that you take.

HAYSBERT: Oh, yes.

HAMMER: Because my guess is, especially being, you know, said to be the most trustworthy person, you must be getting offers all the time.

HAYSBERT: Well, I`ll tell you, I could have flown here and landed on your roof for all the things I`ve turned down in my life. But I am very particular about what I take and what I don`t take.

HAMMER: Well, you have to have been particular about taking your next big TV role on this show "The Unit." You`re the leader of the Special Ops group that even the White House apparently doesn`t know about. You`re off doing these missions around the world.

HAYSBERT: No, the White House knows.

HAMMER: The White House is aware. OK. All right.

HAYSBERT: That`s who we answer to is the president.

HAMMER: But you were operating in such a covert way. We know these groups must exist, but do you think a group like yours actually exists in the real world?

HAYSBERT: I would only say look at the newspapers. Look at the front page and read between the lines. And you`ll see where these guys are and where they`ve been. But they don`t take any credit for it. They take no glory for it. You know, these guys are the true patriots and not as defined in the Patriot Act. I mean, these guys are the warriors that protect us.

HAMMER: They are there to do that job.

HAYSBERT: They are the protectors of the tribe.

HAMMER: And another military role for you, which -- you were fighting terrorists in "24." You were in "Jarhead", Navy SEALS, a bunch of other roles like that. Has being part of those roles changed your view on the military?

HAYSBERT: No, my view on the military has never changed. I`m very pro-military. I just don`t like the way they`re deployed.

HAMMER: In what way? Are you very upset with what`s going on now?

HAYSBERT: Absolutely, very much so.

HAMMER: What would you like to se happen?

HAYSBERT: Well, I would like to see some accountability, for one.

HAMMER: Does it go -- in what way would you like to see accountability?

HAYSBERT: I would like to see, if we`re going to go into a country and blow it to smithereens, I would like to know that there`s a concrete and good reason for it.

HAMMER: So the weapons of mass destruction line didn`t hold anything for you?

HAYSBERT: Blatant lie.

HAMMER: And right now you just want to see somebody fess up, and doing the right thing would mean what right now, specifically?

HAYSBERT: Well, you know, I`m an entertainer. I`m not a politician. I played one on television. I have very strong feelings about it, but I don`t think this is the, you know, venue for it.

HAMMER: Good enough. Good enough.

HAYSBERT: But just suffice to say that something`s rotten in Scotland. I just hope that -- I just would like to see a change.

HAMMER: Well, I appreciate your honesty with that. And Dennis, we thank you for coming on the program tonight. And best of luck with "The Unit." It`s good television. It`s refreshing, and I was happy to watch it today.

HAYSBERT: Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

HAMMER: And you can catch "The Unit" on CBS tonight making its debut.

ANDERSON: In tonight`s "SHOWBIZ Showcase," we have your exclusive first look at the upcoming final season of "The Sopranos." Tony, Carmela and the rest of the gang are back for their final season.

In this clip, Tony Soprano is in the kitchen with his two kids, cooking up some fatherly advice. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES GANDOLFINI, ACTOR: Oh, Joe College, where`s your mother?

ROBERT ILER, ACTOR: She went to the Houtz (ph) store.

GANDOLFINI: Is that the jacket we got you for Christmas?

ILER: I`m lending it to Matt.

GANDOLFINI: Hey. How was your interview for the internship?

JAMIE-LYNN DISCALA, ACTRESS: Got moved to next week.

GANDOLFINI: Would you mind keeping me in the loop, though, since it was my lawyer that set it up, OK?

DISCALA: OK.

GANDOLFINI: Matt doesn`t have his own clothes?

ILER: He`s borrowing it for a party.

GANDOLFINI: Good. Then we`ll never see it again.

ILER: You have such a low opinion of people.

GANDOLFINI: Let me tell you something, A.J. I don`t care how close you are. In the end, your friends are going to let you down. Family, they`re the ones you can depend on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: The first episode of the new season of "The Sopranos" debuts this Sunday on HBO.

HAMMER: So what happens when "The Tonight Show" sends a correspondent to interview the likes of John Travolta at the Oscar after-parties? We`re going to show you, coming up next.

ANDERSON: Plus, the tragic death of Dana Reeve. Tonight, we`re taking a look at her life and legacy. Also, the other celebrities who have turned personal tragedy into personal crusades.

HAMMER: And CNN`s Larry King has interviewed both Dana and Christopher Reeve many times through the years. He joins us live with his thoughts, coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER REEVE, ACTOR/SPINAL CORD ACTIVIST: The thing is he`s famous for his sayings is that it`s your choice, it`s your life, but you`re still you and I love you.

And I remember saying I really tested the marriage out here, talking about in sickness and health, wasn`t thinking about this. But what I`ve found is that people who have a really solid bond -- a really solid bond when a catastrophe happens, it gets better and stronger.

(ENDS VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, I had a great time at the Oscars the other night, but "The Today" -- "The Tonight Show`s" correspondent, Brian Herzlinger, might have had an even better time. At the "Vanity Fair" party, his interviews turned out to be quite revealing. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN HERZLINGER, NBC`S "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": For "Tonight Show" real quick?

BEN STILLER, COMEDIAN/ACTOR: I`m not doing the "Jay Walking" thing.

HERZLINGER: No, no, no, no.

STILLER: Don`t ask me who the fifth president of the United States was.

HERZLINGER: What won best picture last year?

STILLER: I -- oh.

HERZLINGER: My lifelong dream...

JOHN TRAVOLTA, ACTOR: What is that?

HERZLINGER: ... to do my impression of you for you.

TRAVOLTA: Please go ahead.

HERZLINGER: Can I try my best? OK. (singing) I`ve got chills they`re multiplying...

TRAVOLTA: Did you do that in high school?

HERZLINGER: I did.

What is the secret to getting ahead in this town?

MEGAN MULLALY, ACTRESS: Just be ready to drop your pants at a moment`s notice.

HERZLINGER: Really?

MULLALY: Yes.

HERZLINGER: What about the cummerbund?

MEGAN MULLALY, ACTRESS: Let`s get going. I don`t care about your cummerbund. Here we go.

HERZLINGER: Did I do it?

MULLALY: You made it. You`re in!

HERZLINGER: I feel so cheap.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Megan Mullaly got her wish, but I don`t think that John Travolta was at all very amused.

Well, coming up, a musician who`s famous the world over was arrested for domestic violence. We were surprised when we heard this story. I think you`ll be, too. That`s on the way.

ANDERSON: Plus, tonight, as we remember the life and legacy of Dana Reeve, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT takes a look at other celebrities who have turned personal tragedy into public triumph. That`s also coming up.

HAMMER: And, the man who sat across the desk from both Dana and Christopher Reeve more than once over the years, CNN`s Larry King joins us, live.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

D. REEVE: I think after Chris` accident there was a sense of loss, but we were able to share it. And I`m finding that now, really, what you need to do is you need to turn to family and you need to turn to friends and you need to truly have the person inhabit you. And I feel like that has happened. I also believe that the only cure for grief is grieving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 31 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.

ANDERSON: I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And you are watching TV`s only live entertainment news show.

HAMMER: Tonight, the shocking loss of Dana Reeve. The widow of "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve died last night in New York at the age of 44. She had been battling lung cancer.

Well, coming up on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, we`re going to chat with CNN`s own Larry King. Larry had interviewed Dana and Christopher many times over the years. Both were friends of some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

But first, let`s take a look at the amazing mark that Dana Reeve left on all those she met.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANE SAWYER, FRIEND OF DANA REEVE: We met in the course of doing interviews. And I immediately knew I was in the presence of something rare and magical.

HAMMER (voice-over): Courageous, strong, inspirational. This is how the people around Dana Reeve described her.

CATHERINE ZETA-JONES, ACTRESS: She has the greatest strength in the world.

HAMMER: But late last night, she lost her battle with lung cancer.

SAWYER: As she said to me at one point, sometimes you pay rent to be on this Earth and to have a chance to do good.

HAMMER: And Dana Reeve took every chance to do good. When her husband, Christopher, became paralyzed after a horse-riding accident in 1995, she gave up her own acting career to care for him.

DANA REEVE, WIFE OF CHRISTOPHER REEVE: My family has always been my priority.

HAMMER: She`s admired most for the support and love she gave him against all odds as he struggled for almost a decade.

REEVE: We were not afraid to have big talks, and we were not afraid of emotion. And luckily, though, in a way, I think people take for granted sometimes their life and what they have. And we were very much aware of what we had and the gifts of life.

HAMMER: She supported her husband in life and in death. When Christopher died in October 2004, Dana took over his foundation, which funds research for spinal cord injuries. She called herself an optimist and prided herself on seeing the good even through so much pain.

REEVE: Boy, what a year it`s been. It`s been a very difficult year for our family. Chris passed away last October. Shortly thereafter, my mother passed away after surgery from ovarian cancer, quite suddenly and unexpectedly. And then I got this diagnosis.

HAMMER: The diagnosis was lung cancer, and she wasn`t even a smoker. She lived an entire year with the disease without knowing it and was diagnosed in August when she went to the doctor for a persistent cough.

REEVE: You start to wonder. It`s a rocky road. But I do feel that, with the support that I`ve received, and just our family unit is so tight, that we`re going to get through this like we got through everything else.

HAMMER: She relied heavily on the support of friends like Robin Williams, Michael Douglas, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Glenn Close, who became a good friend of Christopher Reeve in the early `80s. Close told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that friendship extended to Dana when she married Reeve in 1992.

GLENN CLOSE, ACTRESS: She has a very, very strong support group that she and Chris had, you know, because of Chris` needs. And because of the kind of people they are, they`re not the kind of people -- you know, they have staying power, because they`re -- and it`s kind of a family.

HAMMER: And at the center of that family is their son, Will, who, at 13 years old, has experienced so much heartache at such a young age.

REEVE: This boy has had a lot of lessons that he`s learned in life that I would rather he hadn`t had to learn so young, frankly. But at the same time, it is a kind of gift. And I think one of the greatest gifts we can give our children are the tools to face life`s inevitable adversity, and he is the definition of resilience.

HAMMER: And hopefully, that resilience will thrive now when he needs it most, a resilience perhaps learned through the example of his extraordinary parents.

REEVE: I`ve learned about facing challenges with optimism, solving problems rather than dwelling on them and wishing things were different. Definitely playing the cards that you`re dealt and playing them extremely well. I also believe that the only cure for grief is grieving.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: No funeral plans have been announced just yet. The family says donations can be made in Dana Reeve`s memory to the Christopher Reeve Foundation at ChristopherReeve.org.

And one person who was able to get to know Dana Reeve pretty well, CNN`s own Larry King. Both Dana and her husband, Christopher, appeared on the program several times, "LARRY KING LIVE." And there he is, joining me live from his set in Los Angeles.

Larry, it`s such a sad day. I appreciate you taking the time to join us tonight.

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Thanks, A.J. It was a total shock to me. I mean, it just was announced a little over, I guess, 6 1/2 months ago. And even when you hear such a thing as lung cancer, you don`t expect it to be that quick. And someone who didn`t smoke and is that young, 44 years old, and had such a wonderful outlook towards life, it`s very -- it still hasn`t set in.

HAMMER: Well, we were just shocked here when the news came in today. We showed a clip earlier of Matt Lauer and Katie Couric on "The Today Show" just stunned. What was going through your mind when you found out earlier today?

KING: I couldn`t believe it. Carrie Stevenson, my senior producer, called me to ask me to do this special show doing tonight. We have quite a show tonight, with -- Lance Armstrong is going to be on, and Deepak Chopra, and a whole bunch of others.

And when she told me on the phone, I couldn`t believe it. It was like, "You`re kidding." Dana Reeve not supposed to die. You know, she`s supposed to live to 85 years old and carry on a legacy. And now you think of that poor Will, the 13-year-old boy, who was so eloquent at the service for his father last year that I attended, and now to be an orphan. It`s just the sadder part of the story. This is a sad, sad day.

HAMMER: And you had the chance to speak with Dana back in February of 2005. And I want to play a little clip of your show. It`s what she actually told you about how Will, their son, handled Christopher`s death. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: How did he take it?

REEVE: You know, we are a family that has dealt with a lot of adversity and a lot of challenges. And I think that he can trust that life has a lot of joy and laughter, even amidst pain and hardship. And that`s another great gift, to be able to live a life with joy that can coexist with hardship and pain.

You know, it`s a life lesson I wouldn`t have wished on him. But at the same time, he has coping skills that I think a lot of 12-year-olds might not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Such optimism; it`s really amazing. And that`s really what defined her, isn`t it?

KING: And you look at how beautiful she is and how healthy she looked. It`s amazing.

And by the way, that memorial service that she literally put together with Robin Williams for Christopher Reeve was -- I`ve been to a lot of memorial services. That was the best I`ve ever been to. It had humor. It had pathos. It was just a wonderful afternoon, a tribute to a terrific guy, Chris Reeve, as someone I knew a long, long time. I knew him before "Superman."

And I know how happy that marriage was and how sad his death was. And now hers coming on top of it, words can`t express it, A.J.

HAMMER: And I`m sure, Larry, you felt a lot of their happiness when you were able to sit across your desk from the two of them. What is something that you took away from interviewing Dana and Chris together, sitting there, feeling something that we probably weren`t able to pick up through the television?

KING: Courage. It`s a not-often-used word these days, courage, his courage, her courage. You know, the caregiver almost has as much courage as the person who`s been dealt the body blow. And no one was dealt a tougher blow than Chris Reeve, who thought of killing himself for a few minutes before she came into the room. And that courage stayed with me. When you were with them and around them, they made you feel better.

HAMMER: And she did so much with that courage, putting it into her life, into the charitable efforts, with the Christopher Reeve Foundation. That`s going to be so much of her legacy. What do you see as Dana Reeve`s legacy, Larry?

KING: That foundation will be her legacy. And it will be -- and Will. As Will grows up, to carry on that mantle of the mother.

And if stem-cell research is ever a reality, embryonic stem-cell research, you`re going to have to put the Reeve Foundation`s name on it. No one has fought harder for it.

HAMMER: Well, Larry, I have about 30 seconds. You mentioned that you`re spending your entire hour on the program on "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight dedicated to Dana Reeve. Give us the rundown of what can we expect and who those guests are again.

KING: We`re going to have Kathy Lewis, who is head of the foundation; Deborah Roberts of ABC News, who is a close friend; Lance Armstrong; Dr. Derek Raghavan, a top expert on cancer; Marianne Williamson; Deepak Chopra; and Dr. Andrew Weil, all of them tonight remembering Dana Reeve at 9:00 Eastern.

HAMMER: Nine p.m. Eastern. Larry King, thanks so much for joining us today.

KING: Thanks, A.J.

ANDERSON: All day long, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has been hearing from celebrities expressing their heartfelt thoughts on the tragic passing of Dana Reeve. Here`s what Michael Douglas and his wife, Catherine Zeta- Jones, told us in a statement: "Catherine and I have been devastated by all the losses, but we find inspiration by how Dana conducted her life."

Remember, we want to hear from you, too. Send us your thoughts. E- mail us at showbiztonight@CNN.com. We will read some of them later on in the show.

HAMMER: More of our special tribute to Dana Reeve, coming up. We`re also going to have this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL J. FOX, ACTOR: When you look at the big picture, does anyone in this room think we`ve come far enough, fast enough?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Dana Reeve worked tirelessly to support spinal cord research in memory of her husband. Coming up, other celebrities like Michael J. Fox, that you just heard there, who used their personal struggles for good causes.

ANDERSON: Plus, why Yanni got arrested. What he allegedly did to his girlfriend, coming up next in "Hot Headlines."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV`s only live entertainment news show. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.

It is time now for tonight`s "Hot Headlines."

Yanni has been arrested. He may face battery charges. Authorities say the new-age musician was picked up at his home in Florida after an alleged domestic dispute with his girlfriend. Well, in a statement, the 51-year-old Yanni says the allegations are, quote, "cruel, false, without merit and baseless," end quote.

The latest "Bachelor" romance already over. Just last week, Dr. Travis Stork, an emergency room physician, chose Sarah Stone, an elementary school teacher in the season finale of the ABC reality show. But they tell "The Tennessean" newspaper they are no longer a couple. Stork says that rules preventing them from dating until taping ended hurt their relationship.

And calling all Cingular Wireless customers: You`re soon going to be able to watch TV on your cell phone. That`s right. Starting today, subscribers can pay a minimum of $20 a month to watch HBO shows like "The Sopranos," the Weather Channel, and the Cartoon Network, plus our very own CNN.

And those are tonight`s "Hot Headlines."

ANDERSON: As we remember the courageous Dana Reeve tonight and the tireless work she did as a champion for spinal cord research, we also highlight other celebrity families and couples who, in the face of tragedy, used their private, personal struggles to publicly help others.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REEVE: I`ll tell you, it`s another journey, and I`m ready to be finished with the journeys.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Even while battling lung cancer, Dana Reeve continued the journey she and her late husband, Christopher Reeve, had dedicated their lives to: developing treatments and cures for paralysis.

The Christopher Reeve Foundation is just one of many celebrity foundations and causes. When tragedy strikes celebrities, they often fight back in the public arena. And Newsweek`s Nicki Gostin says they can raise a unique awareness.

NICKI GOSTIN, "NEWSWEEK" MAGAZINE: We like to look at celebrities. And who would we rather hear talking about Parkinson`s, Michael J. Fox or some, you know, junior senator from Wisconsin? We`re going to choose Michael J. Fox every time, because we all loved him on "Family Ties" and "Back to the Future."

FOX: When you look at the big picture, does anyone in this room think we`ve come far enough, fast enough?

ANDERSON: Who can forget the work Michael J. Fox has done for Parkinson`s? He kept his affliction private for years but has now fought publicly for a cure, starting the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson`s Research.

Paul Michael Glaser of "Starsky and Hutch" is just as well-known for his work to fight pediatric AIDS. The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation was started after his wife tragically contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion and passed it along to their two children. Here she is at a 1992 pediatric AIDS benefit.

ELIZABETH GLASER, PAUL MICHAEL GLASER`S WIFE: We are on the front lines of our biggest battle, but we cannot win with only half the weapons we need.

ANDERSON: After Elizabeth`s death, Paul Michael Glaser continues the fight. Another fighter against the AIDS battle: AIDS-survivor Magic Johnson, who founded the Magic Johnson Foundation in 1991.

And when Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer, he started his own foundation to fight cancer. But do all these foundations really make a difference? "Newsweek`s" Nicki Gostin sees problems.

GOSTIN: I just never understood why celebrities don`t become affiliated with the charitable organization that already exists for their illness, and maybe get space from them, and try and save some money, but still, you know, maybe have a separate part of the foundation in their name, but maybe not to eat up money in administrative costs.

ANDERSON: But some lives are being saved. After her 42-year-old husband, Jay Monahan, lost his battle with colon cancer eight years ago, Katie Couric launched an awareness campaign, even undergoing a live colonoscopy on "The Today Show." After that, colonoscopy rates nationwide have reportedly jumped more than 20 percent.

And bringing attention to breast cancer, Melissa Etheridge and partner Tammy Lynn Michaels have publicly spoken about her fight against the disease. So have Sheryl Crow and ex-fiance Lance Armstrong, and late ABC News anchor Peter Jennings and his wife, Kayce, worked to educate people on lung cancer before his death.

Some write about it. Michael Douglas and Kirk Douglas wrote about strokes after Kirk suffered one in 1996. The book they co-wrote is called "My Stroke of Luck." And Nicki Gostin tells us that can be enough.

GOSTIN: I think, sadly -- it`s sad to say, but when a celebrity contracts an illness or comes down with something, it suddenly puts a very human face on it. It means that everyone knows someone who suffers from, you know, this disease or this illness.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Other celebrity families who have faced adversity and now tirelessly work to increase research and education, Melanie Bloom, the widow of late NBC correspondent David Bloom, is working with the Coalition to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis, the disorder that took her husband`s life while covering the war in Iraq.

Also, Leeza Gibbons, whose mother suffers from Alzheimer`s disease, has established the Memory Foundation to help combat and cure memory disorders.

A.J., it is just -- it`s so sad and tragic what has happened to these people and to so many others that we just don`t hear about, their struggles. But it`s heart-warming. It`s really amazing that they can channel their pain and their grief into making a positive difference for others.

HAMMER: And, as Larry King was telling me a moment ago, it will be Dana Reeve`s legacy, the fact that she continued her work with the foundation. And we spoke to a member of the foundation earlier in the program, as well, who said we will continue to fight her fight and do the battle that she had already begun.

ANDERSON: She was such an advocate. You`re right.

HAMMER: Well, as we have mentioned earlier, a lot of celebrity reaction has been coming in to the death of Dana Reeve. In fact, just a short time ago, we got this very emotional statement from actress and friend Meryl Streep. She says, "It is impossible to overstate the goodness of this beautiful, young woman. Every minute of her life for the past decade and more has been spent doing everything she could for other people. I came to see her as perhaps the most extraordinary person I have ever met. We will miss her so much."

And throughout the show, we`ve been asking you for your thoughts. Thanks for sending them in. We heard from Dorianna in Connecticut who writes, "I am so saddened from this news today. She was just an inspiration to me. This will be a terrible loss for her poor son, as well."

William from California adds, "Dana Reeve, her courage is amazing, and this wonderful, saintly woman now leaves this earthly plain and gets to rejoin Chris once more. Bless her family and her."

Keep sending us your thoughts at showbiztonight@CNN.com. We`re going to read some more of them when we come back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REEVE: We are a family that has dealt with a lot of adversity and a lot of challenges. And I think that he can trust that life has a lot of joy and laughter, even amidst pain and hardship. And that`s another great gift, to be able to live a life with joy that can coexist with hardship and pain.

You know, it`s a life lesson I wouldn`t have wished on him, but, at the same time, he has coping skills that I think a lot of 12-year-olds might not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Time now for more thoughts on the passing of Dana Reeve. We just heard from actor Paul Newman. He says, "She was vibrant. She was stylish. She was tough. She was caring. And she will be sorely missed."

And we`ve been asking for your thoughts, as well. Jeff from Connecticut writes, "I think Dana was a wonderful person. She remained strong and supportive by her husband`s side. She always remained optimistic."

April from Texas says, "My heart breaks today at the loss of such an amazing woman. Dana Reeve was not only a wife and a mother; she was a humanitarian. Superman, you now have your Lois Lane back safely with you."

You can continue to e-mail us your thoughts, showbiztonight@CNN.com.

HAMMER: I noticed a trend in the show tonight. Every time we played a clip of Dana Reeve, predominantly she had a smile on her face, even if she was talking about something difficult. And that is rare.

And that is it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.

ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. We leave you now with one of Dana Reeve`s final appearances. She gave a beautiful performance of Carole King`s "Now and Forever" in New York this past January.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REEVE (singing): ... always be with you...

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

END