Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty
The death of the original Superman is one of those American mysteries that may never fully add up. The story told by those there that night is full of holes, the evidence perplexing and poorly handled. The characters involved range from colorful to drunk to suspicious, having by now taken any secrets they may be hiding to their graves
In the early morning hours of June 16, 1959, George Reeves, who was the first to make the superhero an icon when he played the titular role in the inaugural TV series, was found dead in his bedroom, naked with a bullet through his head.
While the tragedy was unfolding, his fiancée and three guests were carousing downstairs, his soon-to-be wife allegedly narrating the action going on above. “He’s going upstairs to shoot himself,” began her callous recital after Reeves left the room. After hearing a gunshot, they waited 45 minutes before calling the police.