In 1988, Reeves was injured in a motorcycle accident while riding in Topanga; he had to undergo a splenectomy.[270][271] Reeves was injured again on his motorcycle in 1996 when he swerved to avoid a car that pulled out from the curb.[272]
In 2023, the lipopeptide keanumycin, a substance deadly to fungi, was named in honour of Reeves.[273]
Business and philanthropy
Mural of Reeves in Santiago de Chile
Reeves supports several charities and causes. In response to his sister’s battle with leukemia, he founded a private cancer foundation, which aids children’s hospitals and provides cancer research.[274][275] He prefers for the foundation to operate privately, stating in a 2009 interview that he does not like to attach his name to it.[276] In June 2020, he volunteered for Camp Rainbow Gold, an Idaho children’s cancer charity.[277] Reeves was also recognized as one of the 100 Influential Celebrities in Oncology by OncoDaily.[278] Reeves has said, “Money is the last thing I think about. I could live on what I have already made for the next few centuries”.[279]
It was rumoured that Reeves gave away a substantial portion, estimated to be $35–$125 million, of his earnings from The Matrix to the special effects and makeup crews. However, this has been significantly embellished; Reeves negotiated a smaller deal, relinquishing his contractual right to a percentage of the sequels’ profits in exchange for a more extensive special effects budget.[280][281] During production on that film, Reeves heard that a crew member was having “family trouble”, and elected to gift the man $20,000 to help him with his finances.[282] As a wrap gift for the twelve-person stunt team of The Matrix Reloaded (2003), Reeves purchased Harley-Davidson motorcycles for each of the members, saying of the gifts, “I just wanted … to give a bigger thank-you to all these guys who helped me make this”.[283][284]
