On June 16, 1959, he was found shot to death at his home in Hollywood, California. To this day, there is still controversy over whether he killed himself or was murdered.
Personally defended Noel Neill when she replaced Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane in the second season of the Superman TV series when he felt the director was being too harsh with her. He also defended Robert Shayne, who played Inspector Henderson, when Shayne was accused of being a radical during the 1950s witch hunt and was in danger of losing his job. Producer Whitney Ellsworth also defended Shayne along with Reeves.
Served with actress and friend, Virginia Grey, as chairperson of autograph booth for Fiesta Sunday, a fundraiser for Rancho San Antonio, the Boys Town of the West, Fifth Annual Benefit, sponsored by Knights of Columbus of the Southern California Chapter on September 19, 1954, Chatsworth, California.
Was somewhat depressed over his identification with the role of Superman because he felt that it prevented him from being able to take on more challenging roles.
What raised eyebrows regarding Reeves' death is that he was found naked in his bedroom by his guests during a small gathering at 1:59 a.m.; his guests waited 45 minutes to call police; detectives found additional bullet holes in the floor of his bedroom; bruises were found on Reeves' body; shell casings were discovered in strange locations; and a jilted lover of an MGM executive and a volatile, overly- possessive fiancée also figured into the unhappy storyline.