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03/18/2009 1:55 pm

Culture

Liz Smith: Natasha Richardson Off Life Support at Lenox Hill Hospital

© Getty Images

Tuesday I was sitting at lunch with Page Six’s Paula Froelich and casting director Bonnie Timmermann at Michael’s restaurant. The head man came and whispered in my ear, "Natasha is dead." I was worried whether to pass this bad news on to Paula and Bonnie, knowing that the latter was a great friend of Liam Neeson. But I did and therein lies the problem with un-inspected news. He hadn’t said, "Natasha is brain-dead." He said, "Natasha is dead." So I ruined Bonnie’s lunch and my own.

Through the afternoon we all realized that this wonderful, unusual star and actress was perhaps not dead and had been moved from Montreal to New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital. Liam, who had been filming in Toronto and had rushed to her side, was now in NYC with the children. I had been waiting for several days for a phone call from Vanessa Redgrave, who was coming to New York to give an award at the UN. The call, of course, never came. Everybody in the family — Liam, the two boys, Vanessa, Lynn Redgrave, Joely Richardson — have all been in the hospital with Natasha, and word is in at 1:30 PM WEDNESDAY they have taken Natasha off of life support. This is not unexpected. Insiders felt yesterday, on learning they were flying Natasha in to Lenox Hill, that this meant her condition was hopeless and they were just finding a place to be together with her and to say good-bye. As one insider remarked:"Nobody goes to Lenox Hill who is really sick; if she’ d had a chance to live, they’d have found another great brain hospital!" This is all just utterly horrible to write!

Click here to see Natasha Richardson in Photographs.

85 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Awful, simply awful, news. I feel so much for her family and friends.  I am stunned.

By kermieb on 03/18/2009 2:07 pm

My condolences go out to the family and friends.

By AnneM2 on 03/18/2009 2:22 pm

This is heartbreaking; my prayers go to the entire family, and her two young sons especially.

By HelenOReilly on 03/18/2009 2:28 pm

I am glad to hear she is doing better. Her family needs our prays both for them and for her.  God Bless all of them.

By corakomm on 03/18/2009 2:38 pm

I think you have misunderstood the meaning of the phrase "taken off life support."

By BarbaraCollins1 on 03/18/2009 2:48 pm

um, brain dead + off life support = dead, cora.

prayers for her and her family.

By sueosborn on 03/18/2009 2:52 pm

This is just AWFUL !

A terrible, freak, awful shame. I’m so sorry for the family, and all of their friends, and you Liz.

By EKA on 03/18/2009 2:58 pm

It is always so sad when a person dies far too young, but this is especially disturbing due to the nature of the accident and how benign it seemed to be at first. My heart goes out to the family.

By DeBrcaobj on 03/18/2009 3:10 pm

So, so sorry.  I not only enjoyed her as an actress, I felt that "something special" about her.  She was so likeable.  I can’t imagine the pain and loss her family must be feeling.  Too terrible to imagine.  I’ve been praying for Natasha since hearing the news and will continue to pray for her and her family.

By LinCercone on 03/18/2009 3:16 pm

Such an unfortunate turn of events.  I grew up near Tremblant and have skiied there.  I was also a member of the Canadian National Ski Patrol in my youth.  No idea how they could have mistakenly called her (apparently) serious condition ‘nothing serious’.  My prayers go out to her family at this time.

By BarbL on 03/18/2009 3:21 pm

I continue to pray for the entire family.

By PatriciaSprofera on 03/18/2009 3:22 pm

I am having trouble even absorbing this news of a accident that seems so minor on the surface. I even feel a personal loss having loved her work including that of her entire family all of my life. My heart goes out to her friends and family… especially Liam and the boys.

By AgynessO on 03/18/2009 3:24 pm

What a tragedy, and loss. My prayers to her entire family.

By KatGovas on 03/18/2009 3:29 pm

As all of yesterday’s reports were pretty much unsubstantiated at that point, I went to bed hoping that I’d wake up and read about Ms. Richardson’s recovery. What a tragic loss. Her loved ones are in my thoughts.

By JeffAllison on 03/18/2009 3:38 pm

As someone already said, it seemed to be such an innocuous accident, that to know she ended this way is almost unreal. I love her family’s work in film and love seeing Liam’s work. I too have sons and know that pain will be felt for a long, long time. I am so, so sorry that Natasha is not longer with us.

By MurphyMac on 03/18/2009 3:46 pm

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