Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Say a Prayer for Natasha Richardson

Update March 18th Natasha Richardson has officially passed away.

Reports are coming fast and furious and not all of them agree on details but the lovely Natasha Richardson was in a skiing accident Monday. Liam Neeson, her husband, left the set of his latest film to be with her [LA Times]. Natasha hasn't been onscreen a lot lately but she triumphed on stage in the revival of Cabaret on Broadway in the 90s (and Sally Bowles isn't an easy part to play, despite the numerous women who took turns filling her shoes when she moved on). Just a few years ago she was radiant and center stage in the underappreciated Merchant/Ivory picture The White Countess (pictured left) opposite Ralph Fiennes. Here's a great fansite.

Let's hope that some of the more ominous reports, some mentioning traumatic brain injuries and death, are incorrect. Official details from her family are expected to emerge soon.

Natasha and her mother, the legendary Vanessa Redgrave,
last March in London. [
Photo source]

Update March 18th @ 2:56 Still no official word from her family according to the NY Times but many news sources are still proclaiming worst case scenarios such as "brain death" or "on life support". Here's an explanation of how these delayed brain injuries operate. Terrible terrible news.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

My thoughts go out to her husband, her sons, her sister, mother and all other family members. Let's hope the brain dead rumour isn't true ...

alex said...

Don't forget her stellar work in The Parent Trap. It's just a sad, sad situation all around.

Anonymous said...

It's so shocking, tragic, incredibly sad and devastating.

Catherine said...

So, so horrible. I can't even comprehend what her husband and family are going through right now.

Billy D said...

Terrible terrible terrible. All I can think of to say.

changetheworld360 said...

Say it ain't so. :(

Anonymous said...

my heart goes out to her sons, hope she pulls through alright.

Anonymous said...

Natasha Richardson is a good and charismatic actress, maybe unfairly overshadowed by her famous mother and husband but she has a curious filmography: Patty Hearst, "The Parent Trap", "The Confort with Strangers" and "The White Countess". And her stellar work in theater is fantastic

I really wish my best thoughts to her family and I hope she will be alright.

Hayden said...

This is really upsetting because she's always really reminded me of my mom.

E Dot said...

Definitely in my prayers. I loved her as Sally Bowles.

Anonymous said...

im thinking positive thoughts for her & praying for her. she'll pull through fine.

Roberta Lipp said...

Praying.

I adore her. She has the most amazing speaking voice. And oddly, I was discussing the couple (she and Liam) yesterday.

Anonymous said...

I;ve been thinking about her all day...what a terrible thing to have happened. I pray she'll come out ok from all of this - some of the rumors have been too awful to comprehend.

I agree, she has a wonderful speaking voice. I've been listening to the cast recording of CABARET, which is one of my faves, a lot lately.

Anonymous said...

I hope the bad news is not true either. I doubt that they'll move a patient who is brain dead from one country to another. Some report said she was moved to NY to say goodbye to her family. If that was the intention, wouldn't you think the family will go to be with her instead and not the reverse? I'm thinking she's in NY because she is better. I'd do anything to see her pull through.

Thombeau said...

I am most saddened by this turn of events...

Glenn said...

Indeed, very sad news. Hoping she pulls through, but from the reports... well, we won't know until she does, I suppose.

Annie said...

Well it looks to me like the most dire reports have no real basis in fact. And it just seems bizarre to me that she could go from totally okay right after the injury into such a bad condition later. Here's hoping she pulls through in the end. It sounds like there's a good chance that she may.

And to think, i never even knew she was Vanessa Redgrave's daughter OR Liam Neeson's wife. How sad for them.

Annie said...

Oh gosh... this post and the last one are actually from Adam K (the one from Crumb by Crumb), not his sister Annie (my computer's in the shop).

Janice said...

According to NY Daily News, she has been declared "brain dead":
http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/03/17/2009-03-17_natasha_richardsons_family_friends_gathe.html

Anonymous said...

I love you, Natasha. Feel better soon!

I'm sending positive thoughts to you right now and always.

Anonymous said...

She's such a talented actress. I've always been a big fan of hers and I just really hope she will make it through all this. I've had the pleasure of seeing her onstage in A Streetcar Named Desire, and she was so brilliant in it. And I just love her work in The Confort with Strangers, Widows' Peak and The White Countess.
Please make it through this horrible accident, Natasha. My thoughts go out to her wonderful family and friends.

Unknown said...

Michelle said:

My thoughts and prayers go out to her family. What a terrible thing to happen, such a talent....

Catherine said...

It's come as a surprise to me, how hard I'm taking this, how upsetting I'm finding it. It was at the back of my mind all day as I went about my chores and I keep logging onto news websites to see if there's been any updates. I had no great affection for her as an actress, I hadn't actually seen that many of her films to be honest - in fact, just the other week my sister and I were discussing how we get mixed up between her and Miranda Richardson. But now I can't stop thinking about her, and feeling so awful for her husband and her children and her mother, and everyone close to her. The suddenness of it. The bleakness. It's just indescribable.

Sally Belle said...

This literally makes me feel sick to my stomach. It's just so random. People fall down on the green ski slopes everyday. Vanessa Redgrave is one of the nicest and most talented actors around...and Natasha was following in her footsteps. I'm just sick for her family.

I feel like the family would have released a statement already if everything was fine.

Anonymous said...

This is horrible. For people who haven't seen it, her "Parent Trap" work is great. She took what could have been a throw-a-way-role and made it lovely.

John T said...

I haven't felt this way since Heath Ledger-it's just so tragic. What a wonderful, elegant actress who was starting to deliver on her wonderful promise with films like The White Countess. I surely hope that all of this bad news is just the media in a tailspin, and not reality.

BeRightBack said...

Unfortunately, imdb is declaring it official:

http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0714386/

Terrible, terrible news.

Anonymous said...

very sad

Pablete said...

I have been in pain for an entire day. I had just seen "The White Countess" yesterday evening when I read the first news.

My greatest condolences to all her ravishing family (she will be seeing you all from the star-scattered Heaven); Natasha Richardson will be missed!

ajnrules said...

Wow. This is so tragic. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but I guess it has.

And you're not alone in getting her mixed up with Miranda Richardson, Catherine. I was doing that earlier this week when I watched The Crying Game. We won't be making the mistake anymore. :(

Anonymous said...

This is such a tragic occurrence which I understand may have been avoided had she been persuaded to seek medical assistance sooner. Apparently the first ambulance was turned away as Ms Richardson did not want to make a fuss. Head injuries should always be taken seriously. If she felt unwell enough to return to her hotel room after the fall she should have agreed to see a doctor. He would have diagnosed raised intracranial pressure and she would immediately have been recommended for a C.T. scan and life saving surgery.
I feel so frustrated that her life may well have been saved but hopefully people will learn from this tragedy and future lives may be saved following a head injury.

Anonymous said...

Our deepest thoughts are with the family. Such a great loss to you as well as the public due to her amazing works. Our prayers are with the family and hope that this doesn't have to happen to anyone else... Let's make wearing helmets mandatory..... God bless!

Anonymous said...

God saw you were getting tired
And a cure was not to be,
So he put his arms around you
And whispered, "come to me"
With tearful eyes we watched you,
And saw you pass away.
Although we loved you dearly,
We could not make you stay
A golden heart stopped beating,
Hard working, hands at rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us,
He only takes the best