In a recent interview, Irish actor Liam Neeson discussed Natasha Richardson’s passing and compared their relationship to that of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
At the age of 45, Canadian ski accident victim actress Richardson passed away in March 2009 from head injuries.
Neeson, 61, spoke candidly about his loss in an interview with US program 60 Minutes that was conducted in his New York State farmhouse, where the couple wed in 1994.
The cast member of Non-Stop remembers performing alongside Richardson in 1993’s Anna Christie.
She was breathtaking in all regards. I remember finding the flowing hair rather seductive,” he commented. “I had never felt such a strong bond with a performer or actress. We shared many similarities with [Fred] Astaire and [Ginger] Rogers. We simply had this fantastic kind of free dancing every night on stage, you know?
Richardson experienced a severe brain hemorrhage after colliding with her head while skiing in Quebec while Neeson was filming a movie in Toronto. Since she was not wearing a helmet, it appears that she declined the available medical care when it was offered to her and instead returned to her hotel, where she later became ill.
“Oh dear,” was her response, the Star Wars actor said. I slid in the snow and fell. She phrased it in that way.
I took off swiftly,” he said. While I was in the air, the captain was informed that she would be brought to the — the major hospital in Montreal, and that your flight should be diverted there. I grabbed a taxi to the hospital, where a doctor who looked no older than 17 showed me her X-ray. And you didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to comprehend what was happening.
It resembled a cartoon. The brain is forced against the side of the skull as the blood tries to escape.
He said, “I was told she was brain dead. And I was like “Wow” when I looked at this X-ray. But it was obvious that she was on life support. I approached her and told her that I loved her. said, “Sweetie, you’re not getting out of this alive.” You’ve been hit on the head. This is what took place. I don’t know if you can hear me, but that is what took place.
She and I had promised to shut off the electricity if any of us fell unconscious. Consequently, when I first saw her, I thought, “These tubes have to go.”
But thanks to my donation of three of her organs, she is today keeping three others alive. Her heart, liver, and kidneys were all OK.
The actor admitted that he is still finding it difficult to comprehend her passing.
It was never actual. But it’s not actually,” he admitted.
In our New York apartment, there are now occasions when I hear the door open; she would always place the keys on the table and smile. I therefore persist in thinking that whenever I hear the door open, I shall hear her.
“Grief hits you like a wave and leaves you feeling incredibly unstable. You feel like a three-legged table. The earth has lost its stability. It still happens to me now and then, but it’s less frequent.
Despite the fact that it “could have been a hell of a lot worse,” Neeson must get used to raising his boys Michael, 19, and Daniel, 18, by himself.
