Margot Kidder died of self-inflicted drug and alcohol overdose

(BOZEMAN) Actress and activist Margot Kidder’s death in Livingston in May has been ruled a suicide, the Park County Coroner’s Office and her family jointly announced on Wednesday.

The official cause of death was self-inflicted drug and alcohol overdose, the coroner said in a press release. She was 69.

Kidder was found unresponsive at her home in Livingston on May 13.

In the statement, the coroner said that Kidder’s family urged those suffering from mental illnesses, addiction, and or/ suicidal thoughts to seek counseling and treatment. 

Both the family and coroner’s office now consider the matter closed, according to the press release. The family also asked the public to allow them to grieve privately.

Kidder was best known as her role as Lois Lane in the Superman movies in the 1970s and 1980s.

While living in Montana, she was also an activist for progressive causes and animal rights. 

• Memorial service in Livingston honors Margot Kidder
• Actress Margot Kidder of "Superman" fame has died

(MAY 14, 2018) Margot Kidder, an actress best known for her portraying reporter Lois Lane in several Superman movies, died in Livingston over the weekend. Kidder was 69 years old.

According to a press release from the Livingston Police Department,  on Sunday, the Livingston Ambulance and the Livingston Police Department received a call of an unresponsive woman at 315 W. Lewis.

The woman was deceased and identified as Margaret Kidder.

The Park County Coroner’s office is conducting the investigation into the cause. Foul play is not considered a factor.

Further information will be released by the county coroner upon the conclusion of the investigation.

Kidder had lived in Livingston for several years. She was born in Canada, and became a U.S. citizen in 2005.

In addition to her work in the Superman franchise, Kidder also appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows. In her later years, she became a political activist and advocate for mental health issues.

CBS News reports that Kidder was close to her "Superman" co-star Christopher Reeve, saying, "When you’re strapped to someone hanging from the ceiling for months and months, you get pretty darned close." When Reeve died, Kidder said, "I can’t stop thinking about Christopher because he was such a huge part of my life. He was just such a great guy. …He was complicated, very smart, really smart, and he knew he’d done something meaningful. He was very aware of that and very happy with that role."

The actress was rocked by struggles with bipolar disorder in the 1990s and had a breakdown in 1996, which led to a brief stint with homelessness. She spoke candidly about her experience afterward and advocated for destigmatizing mental health issues.

The actress was married three times. Her last marriage was to actor John Heard, which ended in divorce in 1980. Kidder is survived by daughter Maggie McGuane. 

Ted Geoghegan, a movie maker who was raised in Great Falls, posted on Twitter that he met Kidder years ago.

"Margot lived at the foot of Canyon Mountain, right outside of Livingston. Like much of Montana, the area was filled with wolves. But instead of fearing them, Margot loved them." 

According to Geoghegan, Kidder left meat out for the wolves so she could watch from the safety of her home as they came down to eat.

Geoghegan said that she mentioned to him that she had asked her closest friends that if they stopped by her place and found her dead, to tell no one, place her naked body in a bedsheet, drag it up Canyon Mountain, and leave her for other friends, the wolves.

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