The actor Natasha Richardson has died following a skiing accident in Canada, her husband Liam Neeson’s publicist said tonight.
A statement released on behalf of the family said: “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.”
Members of her family including her husband and her mother Vanessa Redgrave had gathered at her hospital bedside since her accident on Monday.
The 45-year-old actor suffered serious head injuries after a fall on a beginners’ slope. She initially showed no sign of injury but was later taken to hospital after complaining of a headache.
She was reported to have flown home to New York on Tuesday night on a life support machine.
Her sister, Joely Richardson, and sons, Michael and Daniel, were among those seen entering the city’s Lenox Hill hospital, where she was being treated.
Neeson had flown from filming in Toronto to be at her side following the accident at Mont Tremblant resort in Quebec. His wife had not been wearing a helmet when she fell.
Richardson was with Michael, 13, and Daniel, 12, when they left the Hotel Quintessence and set off for a ski lesson on Monday.
The family were on a private ski lesson on the Nansen, a beginner’s run. Richardson was at the bottom of the slope in mid-afternoon when she lost her balance and nosedived down the hill. She did not hit anyone or anything before coming to a stop, according to a resort spokeswoman, Catherine Lacasse.
The ski instructor was reportedly by her side within seconds. She showed no external sign of injury or bleeding. “She was laughing and joking and she walked to her room on her own,” Lacasse told the Montreal Gazette.
Two ski patrollers stayed with Richardson but after an hour she began complaining of a headache and was taken to the Centre Hospitalier Laurentien, not far from the resort.
She was later transferred to the intensive care unit at Sacré-Coeur hospital in Montreal and then flown to New York.
Richardson appeared in several Hollywood films but was best known for her work on the stage.
Born in May 1963, Richardson was educated at St Paul’s Girls School in London and trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
Her extensive experience on stage included a number of Shakespearean roles, among them Ophelia in Hamlet and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
In 1986 she won the London Drama Critics’ most promising newcomer award for her performance as Nina in The Seagull alongside her mother.
Richardson won the Tony award for best actress in a musical for her performance as Sally Bowles in Sam Mendes’ production of Cabaret on Broadway in 1998. [guardian]
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