Charlton Heston dies at 84 of Alzheimer's, won 1959 Oscar for 'Ben-Hur'

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From The Hollywood Reporter:

Charlton Heston, who won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing “Ben-Hur” and portrayed Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid and other heroic figures in movie epics of the ’50s and ’60s, has died. He was 84.

The actor died Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia at his side, family spokesman Bill Powers said.

From Hollywood Elsewhere:

Three or four thoughts/recollections about Charlton Heston, who passed this evening at age 84 after grappling with Alzheimer’s Disease for the last six years or so.

(1) I saw him speak at a black-tie dinner maybe nine or ten years ago. He didn’t carry a cane but he could barely walk — he was just shuffling along. I considered him kind of enemy at that point because of his support of the NRA and all, but my heart went out when I saw what lousy shape his legs were in. That brawny muscular guy in the loincloth who played oar-rower #41 in Ben-Hur had become a frail old coot in a toupee. What a rotten thing it is to suffer the infirmities of age.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Charlton Heston, the Oscar-winning actor who achieved stardom playing larger-than-life figures including Moses, Michelangelo and Andrew Jackson and went on to become an unapologetic gun advocate and darling of conservative causes, has died. He was 84.

Heston died Saturday at his Beverly Hills home, said family spokesman Bill Powers. In 2002, he had been diagnosed with symptoms similar to those of Alzheimer’s disease.

From Entertainment Weekly:

Legendary actor Charlton Heston, one of the last surviving links to the golden age of old Hollywood, has died. The Oscar-winning star had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. According to a family spokesman, he passed away Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. The Associated Press said he was 84 years old, though reports on his age vary.

From the Associated Press:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Charlton Heston, who won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing “Ben-Hur” and portrayed Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid and other heroic figures in movie epics of the ’50s and ’60s, has died. He was 84.

The actor died Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia at his side, family spokesman Bill Powers said. Powers declined to comment on the cause of death or provide further details.

“Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. He was known for his chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, and, of course, for the roles he played,” Heston’s family said in a statement. “No one could ask for a fuller life than his. No man could have given more to his family, to his profession, and to his country.”