LOS ANGELES -- William Shatner and his wife of two years had reconciled after he filed for divorce last fall, said the agent for Nerine Shatner, who accidentally drowned in the family pool.
Shatner, the star of "Star Trek," dived in when he spotted his 40-year-old wife in the deep end late Monday, but he was unable to resuscitate her, authorities said."My beautiful wife is dead," Shatner, 68, said tearfully when he briefly stepped out of his Studio City estate on Tuesday. "She meant everything to me."
Shatner filed for divorce Oct. 21, 11 months after the couple wed, citing irreconcilable differences. They had separated Oct. 14, but it was not clear if Shatner intended to proceed with the divorce, according to papers filed in Superior Court.
The two had reconciled, said Pam Loar, Nerine Shatner's agent.
"She was like a comet, very bright, vivacious, the biggest heart you could come across," Loar said.
The office of Leonard Machtinger, William Shatner's attorney, referred questions about the divorce filing to the actor's manager, Larry Thompson, who did not return a phone call seeking comment.
An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday.
"There is no evidence of foul play," police Detective Mike Coffey said. "Subsequent investigation revealed Mrs. Shatner was home alone for a short period of time and accidentally drowned while swimming in the family pool."
Shatner said he was in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, until about 9:30 p.m. Monday. "I arrived home and I found my wife at the bottom of the pool," he said.
After pulling her body from the deep end, Shatner called 911 and was told to begin CPR. When paramedics arrived "she was beyond our help," Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.
Shatner married Nerine Kidd, a former model, in November 1997 in a private Pasadena ceremony. It was his third marriage.
Shatner, best known as Capt. James T. Kirk from the "Star Trek" television series and movies, also starred in the TV police drama "T.J. Hooker" and was the host of "Rescue 911."