Natasha Richardson Passes Away At 45
Very sad news to report today … actress Natasha Richardson, who starred in films like Nell, The Parent Trap (1998) and Maid in Manhattan, passed away yesterday due to complications resulting from a skiing accident that happened in Canada earlier this week. At first we heard that Richardson suffered a small fall while enjoying a skiing lesson but that she refused medical treatment because the fall was nothing serious. Later that day, Richardson reportedly complained of headaches and was taken to the hospital … from that point on reports were erratic at best — some claimed she had died, others that she was merely brain dead. Sadly, it turns out that the reports of her injuries were as serious as was initially reported. Natasha died yesterday at the young age of 45 years old:
Natasha Richardson, a Tony Award-winning actress whose career melded glamorous celebrity with the bloodline of theater royalty, died Wednesday at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. She had suffered head injuries in a skiing accident Monday north of Montreal, and was flown to New York on Tuesday. She was 45 and lived in Manhattan and in Millbrook, N.Y. Alan Nierob, a spokesman for her husband, the actor Liam Neeson, announced Ms. Richardson’s death Wednesday night. “Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha,” a statement said. “They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time.” The statement did not disclose the cause of death or discuss Ms. Richardson’s medical condition. The gravity of her injuries had prompted an outpouring of public interest and concern and flurries of rumor and speculation since Monday, when reports of her accident began filtering out of the Mont Tremblant ski resort in the Laurentian hills. Ms. Richardson, who was not wearing a helmet, had fallen during a beginner’s skiing lesson, a resort spokeswoman, Lyne Lortie, said Tuesday. “It was a normal fall; she didn’t hit anyone or anything,” Ms. Lortie said. “She didn’t show any signs of injury. She was talking and she seemed all right.” Still, an instructor and a ski patrol member accompanied her off the slopes, and when Ms. Richardson complained of a headache about an hour later in her hotel, she was taken by ambulance to a hospital nearby and later transferred to one in Montreal. She was flown to Lenox Hill on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, as television news vans stood outside, friends including Lauren Bacall and family members including Ms. Richardson’s mother, Vanessa Redgrave, and sister, the actress Joely Richardson, were observed arriving. Mr. Neeson was seen crouched beside her in an ambulance in Montreal the day before … Besides her husband, Ms. Richardson is survived by their two sons, Micheal Richard Antonio Neeson, 13, and Daniel Jack Neeson, 12, as well as her mother, her sister and a half-sister, Katherine Grimond.
I received word of Natasha’s passing last night while I was enjoying the festivities at SxSW in downtown Austin, TX … it was not the news I wanted to hear, obviously. While I wasn’t the biggest Natasha Richardson fan (ie. I doubt I ever mentioned her on the blog before) she was deffo one of those actresses that was a welcome sight in any movie. She reminded me so much of Emma Thompson … she was such a talent. It is a really frightening thought to know that simple fall like this could end someone’s life. How many times have we hit our heads and thought nothing of it at the time? It’s such a sad, sad tragedy. I’m sure it is an incredible shock to lose her in this way. My thoughts, prayers and condolences goes out to her grieving family.
[Source]
Tags: Natasha Richardson
RSS
Feedburner
March 19th, 2009 at 8:03 am
I loved her in Parent Trap – wanted her to be my cool mom too. So scary that you can be walking and joking around for an hour with a life-threatening brain injury! She always seemed so nice, gracious, and approachable – even though she was so beautiful, from a legendary family, and married to gorgeous Liam – she will be missed!
March 19th, 2009 at 8:06 am
Its scary how something that seemed minor at first turned so serious within a few hours. Joan Rivers was on CNN last night and she said the family knew she was brain dead and flew her back to NYC so her children and other family members could see her one last time. This is an unfortunate and very sad chain of events.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:07 am
This is so tragic and I hope you leave this family in peace and don’t post all the salacious crap that TMZ is posting. I am NEVER going to their website again.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:08 am
So extremely sad and devastating. She was an amazing actress both on stage and on screen. Certainly she is gone far too soon. My heart breaks for her family. There will be a gaping hole in the acting community.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:11 am
This is so tragic!The family is in my thoughts and prayers
March 19th, 2009 at 8:16 am
God Bless her and her family….my heart breaks for her family, her husband, her children, her sister, her mother….. this reminds me deeply that this life that i take so for granted is fleeting….i said so many prayers for her last night….
March 19th, 2009 at 8:28 am
Yes, yoga girl, that sentiment is so similar to my own. Life is short. I’ll never know how long I have in my life to live. As sad as this death is, I sometimes see the silver lining in these tragedies – they remind me to live fully and love openly.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:28 am
I didn’t want to believe the reports of her being brain dead…this is all just so sad. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:29 am
you’re classless for saying peace out THATS SO INSENSITIVE!
March 19th, 2009 at 8:29 am
so very tragic. my thoughts and prayers are also with her family & loved ones. how sad. so young.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:32 am
Abigail, everyone who passes away, regardless of how or why, gets a Peace Out on here. Or a Peace The Spork Out. don’t be offended! It’s just the pitnb way :)
March 19th, 2009 at 8:32 am
Wow this is so sad. I’m totally speechless. My thoughts and prayers are with her family at this unimaginably difficult time.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:35 am
SO sad!! She was a great actress and lady!
March 19th, 2009 at 8:38 am
I am truly sad to hear about her accident and her passing. It seemed such a minor accident at the time from the news reports. I never followed her career or her life that much but I always liked her and appreciated her warmth that came through. She seemed such a genuinely loving and warm person. My prayers go out to her family. She will be greatly missed.
…also I agree with those who say please take any head trauma seriously. My dad was in a car accident before Natasha Richardson’s injury and thinking it was nothing serious, he refused to go to the hospital at the time to be looked over. He has since been having various tests/problems. Reading about Natasha Richardson’s accident and death should make anyone think more seriously about what seems to be minor head traumas. It has really caused my dad to take his more seriously
March 19th, 2009 at 8:42 am
I also was praying for her yesterday, i really hoped she’d pull thru. I’m horrified at the other websites heartless blogs of what they reported. What her family needs right now is to be everyones prayers.. Let them have time to come to terms with what happened.
natasha, you will be sorely missed. My heart completely goes out for her family.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:44 am
[...] Natasha Richardson, RIP. [Pink Is The New Blog] [...]
March 19th, 2009 at 9:06 am
i’m glad you thought she reminded you of emma thompson. i ALWAYS got the two confused. Even when i heard about the accident i was thinking of movies with Emma. She was a fantastic actress..one that i know will be missed greatly.
March 19th, 2009 at 9:19 am
My thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends. This just so sad and tragic.
:(
March 19th, 2009 at 9:25 am
Hey Trent,
Hope you’re having a great time in Austin! I agree about how sad this is — one minute everything is fine and the next everything is gone. Poor Liam! Love to all.
March 19th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Oh my god this is so sad.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:09 am
So Sad. My heart goes out to the family and friends! She will be missed.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:16 am
So sad I feel for her family. My heart goes out to them.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:41 am
i agree rude to write peace out, love you its the first time i thought you wrote something that wasn’t okay
March 19th, 2009 at 10:47 am
My heart broke when I heard the news… I’ve seen her in quite a few of her movies and I loved her in all of them… she just always played her role so well. I think the Parent Trap was my favorite… she was the coolest mom ever in that movie! And her boys are just hitting their teen years so they won’t get to have their mom fuss over them anymore… I feel so horrible for the entire family… my thoughts and prayers just go out to them. She will be missed.
P.S. I don’t think anything is wrong with the Peace Out… that’s Trent’s thing on here and I don’t think it’s rude… it’s his style.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Just so sad..I can’t imagine what her family is going through right now..This can turn into a positive, though..My son hates wearing his helmet when snowboarding and this is just the kind of thing I tell him about! All it takes is a fall and hitting your head in a total random spot to cause so much injury..Even on the bunny slope! Ugh..So so sad..
March 19th, 2009 at 10:53 am
i don’t understand what the big deal is with peace out. you write it everytime someone passed away, whether you love or hate them. so especially @ al, the first time you haven’t liked something he’s written, well, he does it for everyone. get over it.
March 19th, 2009 at 11:06 am
I was hoping this wasn’t true. When the reports of her being brain dead came out there was a lot of angry responses that it wasn’t true. I wish that was the case.
It is very scary to think how quickly it can all end and how something so seemingly small(she was walking around after the fall) can lead to the loss of a fabulous actress’s life, a wife, a daughter, and mother.
Celebrities you love always seem so untouchable and it’s always an unpleasant jolt when one is taken away too soon.
My prayers go out to the whole family.
March 19th, 2009 at 11:51 am
This makes me very, very sad. :(
March 19th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
She seemed so kind and nice. My thoughts go out to her friends and family, especially her two sons.. they’re too young to have to deal with the loss of their mom.
March 19th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Brain dead = dead, btw. When you say “merely brain dead,” it makes it sound like there’s a difference, and there’s not.
March 19th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
This whole thing is so sketchy. It is such a freak accident… I really did admire her work; she was such a bright light on the screen. I mean, I don’t get that it has only been two days since her accident and all of the sudden they pull the plug. I don’t get it. I mean, I know that when you’re brain dead you’re basically dead and all, but still. It just seemed so abruptly. Sometimes they wait at least a little while but I guess I can see it in their perspective. It must be so hard.
March 19th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
@CRNA — actual death occurs when the heart stops so that would be the difference.
March 19th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Her symptoms were classic epidural hematoma. Even if she hit her head pretty hard, she probably wouldn’t have lost conciousness… She thought she was fine (even though she really wasn’t) then she has a sudden massive bleed in her head hours later. If the pressure in the head is high enough, the brain dies. The body will follow shortly unless the family decides to donate organs, in which case measures are taken to keep the heart beating. Time of death is when brain death is declared.
March 19th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
PS I used to work in a Neuro ICU and a Trauma ICU, experienced things like this a lot.
March 19th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
PSS I still love this site and you! lol!
March 19th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
RIP, this is so sad. I feel really badly for her family — poor Liam and those boys….
March 19th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Oh God, Liam and those boys, how tragic. The anchor of the family is gone. I just hope they come through it intact and together.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
I was praying she would recover and sue the living hell out of all those irresponsible TV ‘journalists’ and websites who had publically written her off, before they even knew what was really wrong with her or had an official statement. That was so disgusting. RIP Natasha.
March 19th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
This is so awful and so sad… when I heard I couldn’t help but feel so awful for those poor little boys and Liam and the rest of her family. But I gotta say kudos to you Trent for not being like the rest of those irresponsible journalists who only wanted the scoop and reported a whole bunch of erroneous stories before the truth came out. Thank you for being respectful and waiting until the statement was issued. Hope you are having fun in Austin!
March 30th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Natasha Richardson really was a charming actress in so many ways; she will be missed