Hollywood star Charlton Heston dies

LOS ANGELES: Oscar-winning Hollywood star Charlton Heston has died in his home in Beverly Hills.
 
Heston (84), who won best actor Oscar for his starring role in Ben Hur in 1959, died Saturday, Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.  His wife Lydia, whom he married in 1944, was by his side, the report said.
 
Heston, who has become better known in recent years as a US gun lobbyist, also portrayed Michelangelo, El Cid and other heroic figures in movie epics of the 1950s and 1960s.
 
He stepped down as president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) in 2003, citing indifferent health.
 
In 2002, it was discovered that Heston, born John Charles Carter in Evanston, Illinois, was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.