Celebrity Death: Charlton Heston


Charlton Heston

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Charlton Heston
Born: October 4, 1923
Died: April 5, 2008 (age 84)

Charlton Heston (real name: John Carter) was an actor best known for his heroic roles in epic movies, like The Ten Commandments (1956), Planet of the Apes (1968), and Ben-Hur (1959), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

In 1944, Heston enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces and served for two years. In the 1950s and 1960s, he spoke out against racism and was an active supporter of the Civil Rights Movement. From 1998 to 2003, he was president of the National Rifle Association.

In 1998, Heston had a hip replacement and was diagnosed with prostate cancer. In August 2002, he announced he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In March 2005, newspapers reported the progression of Heston’s illness and that he was sometimes unable to get out of bed.

Heston died on Saturday, April 5, 2008, at his home in Beverly Hills, California. The cause of death is currently unknown.

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