Natasha Richardson dies at 45 after ski accident.

NEW YORK — Natasha Richardson, a gifted and precocious heiress to acting royalty whose career highlights included the film "Patty Hearst" and a Tony-winning performance in a stage revival of "Cabaret," died Wednesday at age 45 after suffering a head injury from a skiing accident.

Alan Nierob, the Los Angeles-based publicist for Richardson's husband Liam Neeson, confirmed her death in a written statement.

"Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha," the 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 give details on the cause of death for Richardson, who suffered a head injury when she fell on a beginner's trail during a private ski lesson at the luxury Mont Tremblant ski resort in Quebec. She was hospitalized Tuesday in Montreal and later flown to a hospital in New York City.

Isn't this awful! I've been following this story since it broke. What a sad time for her family and friends. My thoughts and prayers go out to them.

I just heard. They were married for 15 years, a long time for a Hollywood couple. What a beautiful family...they must be absolutely numb. I can't imagine losing a beloved family member so suddenly. I had no idea that she was the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave, or the sister of Joely Richardson (The Patriot).

Here's an article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/18/AR2009031803237.html

This is very sad

I heard about the skiing incident yesterday and then I was just shocked this morning when I turned on the news and heard she passed away. My heart goes out to her family.

this was so sad. she played the fiance/gf on the Parent Trap with Lindsay Lohan and Dennis Quaid. i was very upset to hear about this. I am not a fan of skiing and i keep hearing of people dying.

Emilyanne On the Parent Trap does't she Play the Mother? of the Twins she owns a Wedding Shop?

JW wrote:

Emilyanne On the Parent Trap does't she Play the Mother? of the Twins she owns a Wedding Shop?

Yes that was her

I wish that she would have agreed to wear a light weight helmet that they encourage skiiers to wear, especially beginners. The instructors can't force someone to wear one, but it would have prevented this tragic accident. I read where her instructor wished he would have pushed her more to wear it, but she had refused, so at least he tried.
My daughter just started skiing this year and loves it. Most everyone you see out on the slopes has a helmet on, even on the bunny hills. Like in any sport, you can never be too careful.

JW wrote:

Emilyanne On the Parent Trap does't she Play the Mother? of the Twins she owns a Wedding Shop?

Carol wrote:

JW wrote:

Emilyanne On the Parent Trap does't she Play the Mother? of the Twins she owns a Wedding Shop?

Yes that was her

oh okay. i thought she was the other one.

Teresa wrote:

I read where her instructor wished he would have pushed her more to wear it, but she had refused, so at least he tried.

So he says. I know, I'm sounding pessimistic, but I tend to be pessimistic when it comes to something like this, where there are no other 'witnesses' to whether he encouraged it or not. Who knows? He could have, but I almost have to wonder if it was an oversight or something...it just seems like 'vanity' would not have been an issue considering so many others were out there on the slopes in helmets.

My twin nieces started skiing last year and they're getting really good at it---now that this has happened, my mom and I are kind of freaked out about them going! I know freak accidents can happen in every sport---there is a risk of injury in every sport. I'm hoping that my nieces where helmets!! I will definitely be asking them if they do!

Oh, I remember that like yesterday when Sonny Bono died. Again, so tragic. My brother-in-law is the one who takes my nieces, and he is VERY laid back---I can kind of see him telling them they don't really have to wear a helmet if they don't have to. Scares the crud out of me!

On another 'skiing' note---I just read about the plane crash taking 14 people (7children) to a Montana skiing trip. Just heart-breaking.

So, Amy, who are you rooting for in the NCAA tournament?

When I heard about Natasha's accident, I thought of Sonny Bono, and assumed that the same thing had happened to her - that she'd hit a tree at full speed. It really surprised me to find out that she'd just taken a simple fall on the bunny hill.

Wow, I hadn't heard about that plane crash...

LOL Rob! Go Green!

Yeah, the plane crash was carrying a group of people from California to Montana, presumably for a 'kid trip'. It was a single engine plane. Here is the article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090323/ts_nm/us_usa_crash_montana_3

One article said 14, this article is saying 17.

I can't believe that they were only 500 feet from the airport before the plane crashed. It's like, "Oh my gosh, they were almost there............" Very, very sad.

This is so sad!

I heard yesterday that they donated some of Natasha's organs.