Yesterday, there were a flurry of reports claiming that actress Natasha Richardson had died as a result of head trauma sustained on a Montreal ski slope. Those reports were untrue – but the news is not good. People magazine, a much more credible source than Time Out New York or TMZ, is reporting this morning that Natasha’s injuries are beyond recovery, and she was moved from a Montreal hospital to New York in order for her family to say good bye. Her husband, children and family are with her now, holding a bedside vigil. TMZ published photos of a very distraught-looking Vanessa Redgrave, Natasha’s mother, entering the hospital.
As Natasha Richardson remained in a New York hospital, her family and friends had all but given up hope that she’ll recover from a severe head injury.
“There is no chance,” a family friend told PEOPLE on Tuesday night. “It is a fact that her heart is beating but she is brain dead.”
Her dire condition – doctors described it to those close to Richards as “leakage of blood between the brain and skull,” the friend says – has the actress’s family coming to grips with potentially having to make an unthinkably difficult decision. “It’s not official yet,” says the friend, “but they basically will detach her.”
Richardson, 45, the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave, suffered a devastating head injury Monday while skiing on a beginner’s slope outside Montreal during a trip with at least one of her two sons. Her husband, Liam Neeson, 56, raced from a Toronto movie set to be with her as she was hospitalized.
On Tuesday evening, a private jet brought them both to New York, where family and friends gathered for a vigil. Reps for the family have declined to comment on Richardson’s medical condition.
Natasha Richardson leaves behind a wonderful body of work for fans to cherish. Part of what has been called the “Redgrave Dynasty” of actors, her mother is screen and stage legend Vanessa Redgrave, her late father was famed London stage actor Tony Richardson. Her aunt is Lynn Redgrave, and her sister, Joely Richardson is also an actress. Natasha made her film debut as Mary Shelley in the movie “Gothic” in 1986. Other films include the title role in “Patty Hearst,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Parent Trap” remake and of course “Nell,” the film in which she met her husband, actor Liam Neeson. The couple wed in 1994 and have two children, Michael and Daniel. Richardson shifted her career in recent years from film and television to the stage, which she has said was her first love. She played Sally Bowles in the Broadway revival of “Cabaret,” for which she won a Tony Award in 1998. She also starred in the stage version of “Closer,” which was made into a movie starring Julia Roberts.
Our condolences go out to her family and friends, who must be absolutely devastated by this news.
Natasha Richardson is pictured with her husband, actor Liam Neeson, at a film opening last October; with her mom, Vanessa Redgrave, with her two sons, Michael and Daniel, at a Broadway opening last November, and in her last theatrical appearance, “A Little Night Music,” in January of this year. A beautiful, bright star has been dimmed. Photo credits: WENN.
My prayers go out to her family and friends.
So sad. A sweet, talented and gifted person. Classy lady. Prayers.
I am so saddened by this story. I’m still hoping it’s not true.
Me too, pixiegirl. So very sad. Sincerest condolences to her family and close friends.
This is so awful…life can change so quickly. My thoughts are with her family.
Absolutely devastating. I’m so very sorry for Natasha and her family.
So awful, and still barely credible. Really really sad news. My heart and prayers go out to her and all her family, they must be in absolute pieces.
many thoughts & prayers for her loved ones. how tragic.
This is so hard to grasp. My heart goes out to the entire family. She is such a talent, such a classy lady. Absolutely devastating news to wake up to. 🙁
This is so sad, I feel terrible for her family. I hope they can find some peace with this.
very sad news for a family that has known its share of tragedy.
natasha richardson = classy.
What a shock. I absolutely loved her and Liam in Nell. You could see them falling in love…
I was hoping for a better resolution to this sad tale. She is so gorgeous and so vibrant!
*sigh*
We are so fragile.
There is nothing to say but I’m saying a prayer for this wonderful lady’s family. It’s terrible.
This is so awful, and brings back terrible memories for me. My stepdad died of head trauma when he fell out of a tree. Like Natasha, he seemed fine right after the accident, walking and talking normally right up until he got into the hospital. As such, the extent of his injuries weren’t fully established until it was too late.
My thoughts are with her family. What a horrible thing to have to go through.
My thoughts and prayers are with Natasha and her loved ones- I can’t imagine the horror they must be going through right now. Such a tragedy. 🙁
This is horrible. I hope it’s not true and this is one big misunderstanding!!!!
And this happened when she was with a skiing instructor! Just terrible. I guess we should never take our safety for granted.
Life is so fleeting, isn’t it? Can you imagine going to work one day and then getting a call like that about your spouse? A total freak accident — so sad. 🙁
Maybe this is just me hoping this story isn’t true, but would you really move a critically ill patient so that her family could visit her to say goodbye? Why wouldn’t her family go to Montreal? I was thinking yesterday that she was moved b/c the NYC hospital specialized in brain trauma.
But if the story is true, it’s very sad. I enjoy her acting, and in interviews, she seemed like a bright, normal person who was very happy with her family.
Just terrible… nothing but good thoughts to her family.
My heart and soul absolutely bleed for this family because I know firsthand exactly waht this is like. Seven years ago, at the age of 19 I had to make the unimaginavle decsision to take my mother off of life support in the ICU. As her only child it was up to me to make this gutwrenching choice. I hope that the family realizes that although Natasha is gone in physicality, she will be with them forever in spirit. God bless.
If it’s that is a sad surprise. Also that’s why I will never go skiing.
I was hoping this story would change overnight. My prayers are with them. The next few hours and days will be unbearable for them. Kelly just to answer your question yes you would move the patient in a case like this so that the family can gather and say good bye. If she was already brain dead then they would want to move her as quickly as possible. Additionally I know that no matter what you always have hope. I know I did in my situation so perhaps they moved her quickly in search of better care and or alternative care. I don’t know but my entire family and all of our best friends were in the room when my husband passed away and it meant a great deal to me. I needed them all at that moment. I am sure this family needs that too.
So sad… it’s just terrible
I was saddened to read about this. I had the opportunity to see Ms. Richardson perform for a fundraiser in NYC a while back and really learned to appreciate her talent.
My prayers go out to the her family.
So terribly sad for the family. 🙁
Aw man, that is terrible news. She was a beautiful and talented woman. Sara’s right, we are so incredibly fragile. 🙁
Such a sad story! A costly lesson, which is: Wear a helmet, even on the bunny slopes, which is where the accident happened. On the bottom of the bunny slope, no less. I don’t blame her for not thinking she needed one. But maybe this incident may change our ideas about when protective gear is needed. (I even wear a helmet when surfing. People give me looks, but I once saw a man dislodge his cornea getting hit with his own board. That’s all it took. I’m starting to see more helmets snowboarding and surfing now, which can only be good)
Patrice: *Hugs* for a brave girl.
Celebitchy – thank you for showing only the wonderful photos of this young woman and her family. I did not want to see the photos of a “very distraught-looking Vanessa Redgrave.”
You always show such good taste.
My heart goes out to her family.
My thoughts are with her and her family…I hope, if she does not recover, at least he passing is peaceful.
This is really tragic, I was hoping some positive news would come out but it seems like if there was any good news they might have issued a statement by now. Truly sad, she is a wonderful actress and my deepest condolences to her family, a terrible loss for her sons and husband.
Natasha and Liam are both low-key and well respected. I sincerely hope she is just sedated and given decadron to lessen the brain edema; she is young and will need at least 72 hours prior to making the call as to her prognosis.
You can see that these two love and respect each other. Prayers are with her, her sons and husband.
Last year while snowboarding, I ran into a little bump, which caused me to be airborne for a few moments before landing on my back, and smacking my head against a chunk of compacted snow. Even though I was wearing a helmet, I still had a concussion with mild post-traumatic amnesia. The only thing I remember from the hospital was that a nurse would check on me every hour to make sure I didn’t doze off. I later learned that the reason behind this was that falling asleep with a concussion can increase the risk of serious brain injury, so I wonder if maybe that’s what happened in this instance.
Whatever the cause, I feel terrible for her family if the situation is as hopeless as it seems. I doubt it will be much consolation at a time like this, but Natasha Richardson has certainly left a great legacy, both personal and professional.
Devasting. We had to take my sister off life support some years ago and do the vigil. My heart aches for what the family is going through. They are all in my thoughts and prayers.
Truly a class act. Thoughts are with you and your family.
Baho: Thank you very much. That means alot : )
My brother died from a TBI received in Iraq. They kept him stable from Sun to Wed (sandstorms prevented him from being moved) then flew him to Germany. There the best docs verified there was nothing that could be done while his mom and wife flew to him. I’ll always wonder what if there hadn’t been a sandstorm for three days.
Man. :o( Poor thing. My heart goes out to her family.
Talk about a freak accident. A combination of fragility and one’s time to go I guess.
I need to go talk smack about the living now because this is so very sad.
this article reads like an obituary, and she’s not even gone.
so sad, and sad to know this happens to so many lives. my heart feels for anyone who has had to go through this.
on a side note the family “friend” should perhaps hold their tongue until the family speaks.
Orion, TMZ noted that she is gone. As of 1:30pm they let her go. Don’t know how true this is but they usually are right, odd enough.
Very sad situation for anyone to have to go through.
I can’t imagine the strength it must take for her husband and family to see her in that condition, not be able to communicate with her…
this has been an awful month.
bless this family and others who can never say a proper goodbye.
God bless her and God bless her family.
How devastating…Thoughts and prayers to all involved.
I agree with MsLib–it’s good to have at least one tactful site. It’s sickening, the way so many sites and other publications will just slap an intimate “death bed” photo right next to the headlines. The victims deserve more dignity, and their families (especially their children) deserve more respect.
Oh dear lord, please tell me this is some horrendous misunderstanding. Like everyone else on this thread, I’m in absolute denial right now. I’m praying for a positive resolution to this story.
My mom died in exactly the same way, so I can relate. My prayers go out to the family and her friends. She seemed like a nice lady.
it’s all over the tv and tmz has it too, the family just released a statement that she passed away.
That’s terrible news. It’s just an awful reminder that everything can all go away at any moment, for any of us. I’m praying for her family and hoping they can all get through this difficult time.
I’m afraid Julie is right – Times Online and others have within the past half hour confirmed this with the statement from her family.
Terribly sad, especially for the two young boys. My sympathies with her family.
I have to agree with the comments about Celebitchy. It’s just about the only site I read for celeb news anymore, because it’s actually mature and classy, unlike 99% of the others. Thanks Celebitchy, you rock.
I’m keeping her family in my thoughts, they are now reporting she’s gone. This is so sad, she was too young.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5926549.ece
http://uk.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUKTRE52I01J20090319
One word of advice – avoid E! their headline is beyond brutal, classless and unnecessary. Rather like the channel itself.
I can’t believe she died. So, so sad. Parent Trap was one of my favorite movies. Man. :[
i knew it was really bad when they moved natasha from montreal to nyc. montreal is one of the best places in the world for neurological trauma and treatments. hospitals there are very aggressive, often using immediate warzone tactics that save lives. sort of like what was done to Bob Woodruff when he got his head blown up.
i just did a google news, and 11 minutes ago it was reported she died. oh how tragic. 🙁
Oh damn. So sad for the family. Poor Liam. She was so young, too. Oh man I’m tearing up.
NATASHA RICHARDSON HAS DIED!
Husband Liam Neeson and sons Michael and Daniel ‘shocked and devastated’ by loss.
That’s a loss for all of us!
I admired her in Nell and in the Parent Trap…
I have no words for that… i’m so sorry and close to her family!
“Richardson, whose father was the late director Tony Richardson, fell on Monday during a ski lesson on a beginners’ slope at Mont Tremblant, a resort about 80 miles (128 kilometres) north west of Toronto. She had not been wearing a helmet.
The ski instructor saw her fall and summoned the ski patrol to check her out, but Richardson laughed off suggestions that she get medical attention and returned to her hotel room. An hour later she complained of a splitting headache and was taken to a local hospital.
A spokeswoman for the resort where Richardson was staying said that the actress had showed no external sign of injury or bleeding.”
Damn :o, let this be a lesson to all of us, wear a helmet even if it gives us helmet hair and we’re on the bunny slopes.
anyone who loved Parent Tap loved her. like i did. this is so sad. i want to deny this in my head.
A great loss. Such a beautiful soul. So so sorry for Mother, sister, Liam and the boys and all other loved ones. I am in shock. She was such a gifted, full of life soul with a soothing calm aura . I am very saddened about this tragedy. Rest in peace dear Natasha. You will be greatly missed by so many.
Oh my goodness. Such an incredible loss. My thoughts are with her loved ones. I can’t imagine what they must be going through.
Rest in peace. All the best to family and friends in these heart – breaking times.
Good Goddamn. I admit I’ve seen VERY little of her work, but dying at that young an age of such a preventable cause, and leaving behind a widower & two young children…my heart is out to her entire family.
I know there are people who say “who cares, you don’t know them” etc, but it takes less than a moment to send good wishes to people in crisis, and Holy Hell, who can it hurt?
Hey, cool tips. I’ll buy a bottle of beer to that man from that chat who told me to visit your blog 🙂