There are many accounts of children that resembled their famous parents as adults.

Many famous people’s children look strikingly like their famous parents, such as Michael J. Fox’s identical twin daughters, Julia Roberts’s teenage daughter, and Elvis Presley’s grandson.

However, Christopher Reeve’s son Will, who is now 29 years old, is not only a physical clone of his famous father but also actively works to carry on his role model’s legacy.

Christopher Reeve’s youngest kid was only 13 when both of his parents passed away, a tragic loss for any child.

What does a hero look like?

Christopher Reeve personified what it meant to be a hero for millions of people in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

He won the award for Most Promising Male Newcomer at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1978 for his portrayal of Superman from DC Comics.

After the success of Superman, the attractive and charming actor went on to star in three more superhero films.

His name is forever linked to a well-known superhero.

Christopher Reeve, who was born in New York in 1952, was involved in many other fields outside acting.

Christopher Reeve accident

Christopher Reeve’s life was irrevocably altered on May 27, 1995.

The well-known actor hurt his back after he was thrown from his horse Buck at a competition in Culpeper, Virginia.

The Hollywood actor’s paralysis from the neck down and subsequent wheelchair confinement shocked his millions of fans and his family.

The actor’s organization claims that Christopher’s mom pleaded with doctors to turn off his life support so he could die.

The New York Times reported subsequently that the actor’s life would have been lost if he had fallen just one centimeter to the left.

If Christopher had fallen to the right instead, he would have only sustained a concussion at most.

When Christopher became a quadriplegic, he was just 42 years old. For the remainder of his life, he would need to use a wheelchair and a portable ventilator.

As soon as they saw what had happened, doctors pronounced there was little chance of recovery and told Reeve it was “impossible” for him to regain movement.

During his first several days in the hospital, Christopher Reeve was highly drugged and delusional as he endured a hellish ordeal.

He thought his life was over after hearing the doctor’s awful diagnosis.

He didn’t want to put undue strain on his loved ones, so he suggested to his wife, Dana Morosini, that they stop life support.

With tears in her eyes, she responded, ”I will support whatever you want to do, because this is your life and your decision. But I want you to know that I’ll be with you for the long haul, no matter what. You’re still you. And I love you.”

Instead of giving up, Reeve and his dedicated wife Dana put their energy into action, founding the Christopher Reeve Foundation.

The organization’s name was changed to honor Christopher and Dana Reeve.

The pair also advocated on behalf of those with spinal cord injuries and for stem cell research through the Reeve-Irvine Research Center they established.

Christopher Reeve, like any good father would, wanted the best for his kid.

In a 2016 interview with PEOPLE, Will gushed over his “totally normal” upbringing.

“They were the people who told me to turn off the TV, to eat my broccoli, to go to bed,” Will lovingly recalled. “I understand that not every child experiences going to the grocery store and seeing their dad on the magazine at the checkout aisle, but … it was a totally normal childhood.”

Will also recalled the time his dad got him out of his wheelchair and taught him to ride a bike. “I didn’t believe it was gonna work. I’m terrified, but I have my dad’s voice behind me going, ‘Steady, steady, left, right, left, right,’” he said, adding, “By the third lap, I’m smiling, looking at my dad, waving, and he’s smiling. That meant so much to him. Later on, I would race in him the wheelchair. He’d let me win.”

Will’s father passed suddenly just as the family was beginning to put the pieces back together.

Christopher Reeve death

Even as a young child, Christopher Reeve dealt with a number of health issues. His breathing was hampered by asthma and allergy symptoms.

He began experiencing hair loss due to alopecia areata at the age of sixteen.

During his acting career, Christopher was able to keep the condition under control, but once he became disabled, he decided to chop off his hair.

Christopher went to the hospital multiple times in the early 2000s for various infections. In October of 2004, he was hospitalized with sepsis brought on by an infected pressure ulcer.

On October 9, Christopher was at his son Will’s hockey game when he had a heart attack after taking medication to treat an infection.