Natasha Richardson, who fell during a skiing lesson at a Quebec resort, has passed away after suffering severe brain trauma. She left the lesson laughing off her injury, but later complained of a headache and was rushed to the hospital, where her injury caused her to lose brain function. Her family chose to take her off of life support at 1:30 pm on Wednesday, and she passed away a few hours later. She was 45 years old. The family has released this statement:
“Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha. They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time.”
[from TMZ]
Natasha was named after a character in Tolstoy’s War and Peace, and had her acting debut at 4 in her father’s movie The Charge of the Light Brigade. Her acting credits are varied and include those on the stage, in film, and on television. She was a versatile and talented actress as well as activist – she became very involved in charity work to find a cure for AIDS after her father died of the disease.
Natasha’s mother is the legendary Vanessa Redgrave; her husband is Liam Neeson and her sister is actress Joely Richardson. Natasha is also survived by her two sons, Micheál Richard Antonio, 13, and Daniel Jack, 12.
Out hearts and thoughts go out to her family and friends after this terrible tragedy.
Natasha Richardson is shown with her mom, Vanessa Redgrave, in the header on 1/12/09. She is also shown with her husband, Liam Neeson, on 10/17/08. All photos are from 2006 – 2009 and are credit WENN.com
She was an amazing actress and person, and I can only imagine how her family is feeling and that breaks my heart.
(also her name is Joely not Joley, although it seems like it shouldn’t be.)
This is so sad. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.
🙁
This is terribly sad and shocking. I’ll be thinking of this all day. Please wear helmets everyone! 🙁
Poor woman.
She seemed so cheerful. She looks so full of life in this pictures.
Rest in peace.
This is a heartbreaking tragedy…I was rooting for her to pull through yesterday but God knows why he took her. Poor Liam. Joely and family. This is a tragic loss to them…
It´s so sad. She probably wasn´t wearing a helmet because no one thought it was necessary in that particular situation. A person like her shouldn´t go out in such a freak accident. My thoughts today are with her family and friends.
It’s so sad! My thoughts and prayers are with her very close clan.
What came to mind when I heard about this was the scene in “Love Actually” where Liam Neeson’s character has to get up and speak at his young wife’s funeral. So sad that this character’s fate became his own. Prayers for the family.
How terribly sad. She seemed like a class person in every aspect.
Apparently in 1994/1995, for the first time, she sent an alumni report to her old school: “Won $prestigious award; starred in Oscar-nominated film; married Liam Neeson”.
‘Ultimate revenge on the school bitches’ anyone? *smile*
it’s been all over the news all night, including larry king. they made it a big point how she was not wearing a helmet and refused medical attention after she fell. i mean it was the bunny slopes, not the double x run, so i could understand her not wearing a helmet. i can’t imagine what could have happened, as bunny slopes are pretty tame and flat in several parts. maybe there was a rock under the snow that she hit when she fell? if the ambulance was called surely the ski patrol and instructors had cause to be concerned so i’m not sure why she would refuse to get checked out? i can’t believe how fast it was, ya know? i haven’t been in that situation, but maybe i might have waited a week just to make sure there truly was no hope of recovery, but i know liam and vanessa brought in all the top doctors and all that and that was the diagnosis. so sad! i hope liam, michael, and daniel take comfort in the good memories of the past years. 🙁
So sad and still so hard to believe. Prayers and condolances to her devastated family on their tragic loss. RIP Natasha.
it’s so so sad,can’t believe it.i feel so sorry 4 her family.her husband and sons are in my prayers.RIP.she was to young to die.a beautiful person and a great actress.i’m sure she’s with angels now:(((
I don’t know what to say… For the last few days, I kept hoping it wasn’t as severe as was reported, and now part of me keeps hoping this isn’t true…but I know it is.
So sad. She’s always seemed like such an effervescent woman… so sweet, kind, and full of life. My heart goes out to her family – especially her sons. I can not imagine how they must be feeling right now.
RIP Natasha. You’ve left a world full of people who’ve respected you and enjoyed having you with us. God Bless
Appeared to be a warm and loving mom, wife, daughter, full of the joys in her life, talented in her craft. Sadness and sorrow for her family.
PS. @SamHill/CB – That selection of pics you’ve used are beautiful – you can really see how loved she was, it just shines through. Thanks for those.
Terribly tragic. God bless them. The photos you chose really capture her spirit. She seems like a rare gem of a soul–so vibrant, so radiant, so affectionate.
My local paper used a quote from A Streetcar Named Desire which she performed in: “Sometimes there’s God so quickly.”
My sincerest best wishes to the family.
This is so incredibly sad. I always enjoyed her, and I’m sorry for the grief her family will be enduring. What a tragic loss.
Oh my god I’m still not believing this tragic tragic story. I’m so very sorry for this lovely woman and her family. My prayers are with them.
This is the worst news of the day. What bugs me is how the media has been on and off again with her death. It is hard to believe anything you read. She looked so much like her beautiful mother. I pray for her children and husband.
My thoughts and prayers are with family at this time of great sorrow.
To the younger generation of “actresses” .. follow this lady’s example, she was pure class.
I can only assume she already had something wrong, and when she fell it a exasperated it. It’s all just speculation @ this point. My heart goes out to any family who loses a loved one unexpectedly. My friend’s daughter lost a good friend the other day when she was pumping gas. Another car hit her mini van and pinner her while she was pumping gas, and she burned to death in the flames… Life is too short not to live it to the fullest.
I meant “pinned” her between the pump and the mini van.
sarcra:
You are absolutely right, I didn’t even think of that connection to the movie.
It’s even more heartbreaking in Natasha’s case, because her family had no time to really prepare themselves for this. She was fine and healthy one day, and on the brink of death the next. So sad.
And it’s certainly not to diminish those who die from a terminal illness. But at least with that there is time for mental preparation, as well as a chance to converse with the dying person.
I can imagine it’s even more heart wrenching that Liam, her children and entire family couldn’t hear her say that she loved them just one more time.
My thoughts and prayers are with them.
Prayers.
First of all my heart is breaking over this, I have always been a fan of both Natasha’s and Liam’s respectively and admired the love and mutual respect that they had for each other. She was a beautiful, elegant and classy woman and she left a legacy that her children can be proud of. She had a beautiful, kind and generous soul which shone through her eyes and was captured in her pictures. That being said, sarcra said my exact thoughts last night. How sad that Liam is now left to play his character’s part in Love Actually.
My condolences to her family.
Infinite sadness…
Still so unbelievably shocking tragic. May she rest and may her family find peace.
Wonderful actress. I actually had tears when I heard she’d died. RIP Natasha. My condolences to the bereaved family.
So very sad and tragic! So young to die and so unexpected. We’re praying for her, and Liam & their sons.
So, so sad.
I had the honor of seeing Natasha in Cabaret on Broadway several years ago. It was possibly the most vivid and moving performance I have ever seen on stage (and I’ve seen 100’s of plays). She was a gift to the theater community.
So sad. 🙁
I’d pray for her if I believed in that and god. But I will just keep her in my thoughts.
what a lovely woman. very sad news indeed.
What a tragic ending for a couple that stayed so close and in love. I love the last picture where they are walking away from the camera and looking at each other. You can tell in these photos that they were crazy about each other. RIP
I thought about Liam’s character in Love Actually (one of my favorites) as well. I kept hoping that the reports were exaggerated and that she would end up fine. So sad.
It girls come and go but here was a woman who really had “it”. An exceptionally gifted screen/stage actress and, by all accounts, a truly genuine human being, Ms. Richardson has left this world an emptier place. I can’t even begin to imagine the depth of anguish and sorrow the Neeson, Redgrave and Richardson families must be experiencing. My heart goes out to each and everyone one of them.
I sincerely hope that the media will now (respectfully) back off and heed the family’s request for privacy but, alas, I fear that is not to be. Here in Montreal, the dailies are reporting that Mont-Tremblant is being swarmed by international media looking for a fresh angle on this story/tragedy. Evidently, British media have been offering big bucks for (possible) pictures of Natasha skiing (good grief). The local medical clinic has also been bombarded with requests for interviews (even though Ms. Richardson was never treated there). Fortunately, the Mont-Tremblant community seems to have closed ranks. No one (to my knowledge) is talking (or biting, for that matter). Indeed, the owner/manager of the Quintessence Hotel outright refused entry to crews from ABC and Good Morning America (good on him).
If this is how the media are conducting themselves in Mont-Tremblant, I shudder to think how hounded Ms. Richardson’s family must be right now at (what would have to be) their darkest hour. Very sad, very sick and very, very distasteful.
I echo everyone’s sentiments… it’s shocking and mind-numbing. I had hoped fervently that this was being blown out of proportion by the tabloids.
Her poor boys. Life is so fragile.
I can’t read about this without getting very teary. So sudden and her reaction at first is probably so common. I think I probably would have done the same as she did- if I felt ok I too would have brushed off the request for treatment not understanding how painless this injury could be at first. I think so many people now- because of this story- will probably have their lives saved because they realize they should seek a medical opinion after hitting their heads.
Unfortunately this insight will not bring this gorgeous woman back. My heart goes into the universe for her spirit and her family.
My heart goes out to the Neeson and Richardson families. It’s so sad. I kept hoping for the best but alas a wonderfully talented actress and from all accounts pretty awesome lady all round has proven how fragile life is.
My husband reported in from the slopes last weekend that he’d taken a minor fall… I cracked a joke about a broken bone not being a great idea for us right now… he doesn’t wear a helmet skiing. While it may not have made a difference for Natasha we may revisit that one.
RIP Natasha Richardson
It is absolutely heart-breaking. But I believe that love survives anything and I believe that all the love she gave to the people will survive.
Though right now I’m sitting here crying and I didn’t even know the woman. She just left such a strong impression on me. What it must feel like for those who have been close to her, her husband, her children…! – may her love be with them and give them strength.
Prayers to the family, may she rest in peace.
For those wondering how this can happen: the exact same thing happened to my uncle except he got lucky and they managed to operate on him just in time!
He had a little fall on the ski slopes, really just tripped and banged his head. Got up felt silly but fine, the ski instructor checked him out, fine. But then over night he developed a debilitating headache, the next morning he was acting confused and seemed to be having trouble with his balance, that’s when his friends called 911. They took him to a local hospital and diagnosed a TMI, he called his family, was joking on the phone all was well, they airlifted him to a specialised hospital. My the time his wife and kids got to him later the same day (!) he was paralysed on one side of his body and rapidly loosing the ability to swallow and breath, so the docs decided to put him in a medically induced coma so as to be able to intubate him. They needed to operate on him asap: the little tumble he took had somehow ruptured a vessel and the hematoma was compressing the brain…and growing by the minute as he was on anticoagulants for a heart condition…but they could not operate on him for 48 hrs due to the anticoagulants, meanwhile the hematoma grew and grew…they finally were able to operate on him to relieve the intercranial pressure which was shutting down his brain. They had to keep him in a coma for a month, waiting for his brain to un-swell. Finally they let him wake up, and by some miracle (he was one of the lucky ones) he was able to recover. He had to learn to walk again and such, is now subject to epileptic crises due to the scar tissue in his brain, and his personality has completely changed…it’s weird, he’s not the same person but he’s alive (the brain is a funny thing)…he could have easily been dead though, from a little fall, not even a big tumble. We were in shock when we heard about this whole thing spiraling out of control from a little fall, so I feel much empathy for the Neesons: they must be shell shocked…she probably did have some previous condition that aggravated dramatically the outcome, in any case it’s shocking. My heartfelt prayers go to the family.
Unbearably sad. Her family acted swiftly with incredible bravery. Such an amazing woman, who had a richness of extraordinary relationships. And in the end, love is all that matters.
Goodness, I am in shock! Just yesterday news sounded so much more positive and now she in fact died. I can’t believe it. It’s so very terrible. My thoughts are going out to her family and friends. She was a great actress and seemed very sympathic.
Ooh,dubdub,my father had a stroke and brain surgery and it completely changed his personality too. He went from being a first-class asshole and bastard to being much sensitive and caring for the last 5 years of his life. Weird. Like everyone else, I feel for the family and wish I could take away their heartache.
She seemed to live her life in the way Paul Newman lived his – they both gave the impresssion that this fame thing is no reflection of who they are as a person. Family, and a life of integrity and giving back is the true reflectio of the person. How nice it would be if Paris, Britney, LiLo, Misha, and the list goes on and on… would learn a lesson.
Thank you for choosing these photos. Very poignant and full of love. Truly sad news. I was a fan of Natasha and loved her work. Love Liam’s work as well. My prayers go out to the family and loved ones during this tragic and painful loss. No words can begin to comfort the pain the family is going through.
So sad, still young…..
Poor thing… my heart goes out to her family.
Lovely pictures of her and Liam, and weirdly made me think of Gwyneth and Chris Martin’s pathetic refusal to be photographed together. Natasha and her husband enjoyed their relationship,celebrated it, shared it.
Very tragic and a very freakish accident. i feel horrible for the family. It must be hard for them to deal with her passing in such a strange way. my hearts goes out to them. I saw pictures/footage of Liam today, poor man looks like he hasn’t slept in days…sad…
In hopes of helping reduce the chances of another such tragedy, if someone you know develops symptoms like this after a traumatic brain injury, insist that they get HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy).
Thank you!