IN LIFE, Christopher Reeve was among the most outspoken critics of President Bush’s restrictions on stem-cell research. In death, the former Superman actor has reignited one of the US election’s most emotive campaign issues.

John Kerry yesterday seized on Reeve’s death to attack the Bush Administration’s record on stem cells, pledging to overturn a ban on federal funding as a tribute to a man he described as his friend.

“He was an inspiration to all of us and gave hope to millions of Americans who are counting on the life-saving cures that science and research can provide,” the Massachusetts senator said.

Reeve, 52, died in a New York hospital on Sunday afternoon surrounded by his family. On Saturday, he had suffered a heart attack during treatment for an infected bedsore, and fell into a coma from which he never regained consciousness.

Embryonic stem (ES) cell research had emerged as a significant campaign issue after President Reagan’s death from Alzheimer’s disease in June. Democrats believe that the death of a second popular American icon, who might have benefited from the technology, will now raise its profile still further.

In 2001, Mr Bush banned the use of federal funds for work on new ES cell colonies. Scientists say that it has set back a field with the potential to transform medicine. ES cells are widely considered among the most promising approaches for treating a wide range of diseases, including paralysis and possibly Alzheimer’s, but the use of the master cells is strongly opposed by religious conservatives because they must be harvested from human embryos.

In May 1985, Reeve broke two cervical vertebrae in a riding accident. He refused to accept that he would never walk again, and used his celebrity status to raise funds and provide political support for research into new therapies for spinal injuries. The hope that kept him going was that within his lifetime stem cells might prove their worth by regenerating his spinal cord and restoring his movement.

Stephen Minger, of King’s College London, who last year created Britain’s first colony of ES cells, said: “Christopher Reeve has done an amazing job promoting responsible stem-cell research.”

Professor Roger Pedersen, director of the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, said: “His brave determination to see the benefits of stem-cell research reach patient care was an inspiration to everyone in our field.”

Susannah York, the British actress who appeared in Superman, said: “He was a very real contender for a Superman hero figure, because of his courage and generosity of spirit. He was fun. I admired him incredibly.”

Michael Winner, the film director, said: “To see an action actor who played Superman paralysed and hardly able to speak was terrible, but we all had hope for him and it is tragic that those hopes have been dashed.”

John Cavanagh, of the charity Spinal Research, said: “In terms of funding worldwide he has made a very big impact. He also gave other sufferers a lot of hope.”

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