Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

So Long Charlton Heston

It’s a sad, sad day in H-town. Screen legend Charlton Heston passed away last night, at the age of 84. The actor, who in 2002 revealed an ongoing struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, leaves behind his wife of sixty-four years, Lydia.

Best known for roles in “Planet of The Apes”, “The 10 Commandments”, and “Ben-Hur”, Heston also became well known in the public sphere for his political activism. In 1963, the actor campaigned alongside Martin Luther King Jr. to bring an end to racial segregation in the South. Later, in the 1970s and 1980s, he advocated increased gun control and anti-abortion legislation.

In later years, Heston served as the elected president of the National Rifle Association. His sojourn as NRA president, which lasted from 1998 until his resignation in 2003, was marked by increased controversy. Opposed to the Clinton administration’s push to limit the accessibility of firearms, the actor declared that the administration could pry his Second Amendment rights from his “cold, dead hands”.

He then proceeded to call George Clooney “classless”.

Oh Charlton. We all loved you even though you were a conservative rabble rouser. We’ll always remember you as one of Hollywood’s greats.

For more info, visit: http://news.aol.com/entertainment/movies/movie-news-story/ar/_a/charlton-heston-dies-at-84/200804060117099900

By Shayna Murphy

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