Natasha Richardson Succumbs To Skiing Injuries

IT is confirmed: actress Natasha Richardson passed away in New York City yesterday (March 18) after suffering injuries in a ski accident, a family statement said. She was 45.

Richardson's family released a statement saying: "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."

Richardson was critically injured after a fall during private skiing lessons at the Mont Tremblant resort on Monday. However, she didn't appear hurt and was walking around shortly after the incident. Later, she complained of a headache and was taken to the hospital.

On Tuesday (March 17), she was transferred to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City where she was put on life support to await last goodbyes from members of her family.

Richardson was practically born into 'acting royalty'. Her grandfather, Sir Michael Redgrave, was a famous British actor and her mother, Vanessa Redgrave, is an Oscar-winning actress. Her father, the late director Tony Richardson, helmed such films as Look Back in Anger, The Entertainer and the Oscar-winning Tom Jones.

Natasha's first film role was in her father's The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968), made when she was four years old. She played Mary Shelley in Ken Russell's film "Gothic," and followed that up as Patty Hearst in Paul Schrader's 1988 film of the same name.

Her other notable films included The Handmaid's Tale (1990); the TV movie "Zelda" (1993); "Nell (1994), alongside Neeson, whom she married in 1994; the 1998 remake ofThe Parent Trap; and Wild Child (2008).

She won a Tony for her role as Sally Bowles in the 1998 revival of Cabaret and earned acclaim for her performance in a 2005 production of A Streetcar Named Desire. She was scheduled to perform in a revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music this year.

May she rest in peace.