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Margot Kidder’s Family Confirms Death Was Ruled a Suicide
Margot Kidder's family have announced that the Superman actress passed away back in May because of a suicide. It was previously reported that Kidder passed away peacefully in her sleep but that now seems to not have been the case.
Kidder seems to have always battled with mental illness even from a young age. At 14, she attempted to commit suicide and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1988. She was often addicted to drugs and alcohol and had several public breakdowns due to her condition. She was even homeless at one point, and in 1990, she got into a car accident that was so severe it made her bankrupt and partially paralyzed. Despite her issues off-camera, Kidder continued to act until her death with her last acting credit going to The Neighborhood in 2017. While the specifics of her death have been a mystery for months, it has now been revealed that she died from a suicide.
As reported by the Associated Press, a new statement from the Park County coroner Richard Wood was released today, explaining that Kidder's death was due to, "a self-inflicted drug and alcohol overdose." Maggie McGuane spoke out about her mother's death, saying, "It’s a big relief that the truth is out there. It’s important to be open and honest so there’s not a cloud of shame in dealing with this." While McGuane is still mourning her mother's death, she also stressed that people who are struggling with mental illness need to ask for help, especially since Montana has a high suicide rate.
Kidder began acting in the late '60s and quickly rose to fame after she moved to Los Angeles. While she was a famous celebrity, her off-screen struggles were never a secret to the public. Kidder was most famous for playing Lois Lane opposite Christopher Reeve in four Superman movies throughout the '70s and '80s. Besides her role in the Superman franchise, Kidder also starred in movies such as Black Christmas and The Amityville Horror.
While Kidder had certainly gone through her fair share of trauma, she always seemed to be willing to work and often spoke out about her mental illness as well as, of course, Superman. She appeared on Smallville for two episodes and was even willing to appear in a future DC show, if given the opportunity. Back in 2016 she also criticized the DCEU version of Lois Lane and said that Amy Adams was great but her character wasn't given enough to do. That being said, fans will always have a spot in their heart for Kidder's version of Lois Lane. While it was easier to just imagine that she died peacefully in her sleep, it's good that the truth is finally out.
