Superman star Valerie Perrine dead at 82

Valerie Perrine has died at her home in Beverly Hills following a 15-year battle with Parkinson's disease. She was 82.

Her death was announced by her friend Stacey Souther, who has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for funeral costs, Deadline reports.

"Valerie Perrine gave everything she had to her craft, her fans and her life, with grace, humour and an indomitable spirit that Parkinson's itself could never fully extinguish," Souther shared. "Let's make sure her final chapter is written with the same dignity and love that she gave to all of us."

Perrine's memorable film roles included a porn star abducted by aliens in Slaughterhouse-Five, and an Oscar-nominated performance as the wife of Lenny Bruce in Lenny.

In what would become a signature role, Perrine took on the part of Miss Eve Teschmacher, girlfriend of villain Lex Luthor, played by Gene Hackman, in the box office smash Superman in 1978, and its sequel Superman II in 1980. Both starred Christopher Reeve in the title role.

Perrine's career hit a wall that same year when she appeared in the Village People flop Can't Stop the Music, a performance that earned her a Razzie Award nomination.

"It ruined my career," she reportedly said of the film. "I moved to Europe after, I was so embarrassed."

In 2020, a documentary titled Valerie, which chronicled Perrine's career and battle with Parkinson's disease, was released.

She is survived by her brother Kenneth, who has also been diagnosed with Parkinson's.