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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Celeb / Film / Theater Oh My God

Posted by Christopher Frizzelle on Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 3:19 PM

Natasha Richardson was reported to be "fine at first" after she hit her head in a skiing accident, but the 45-year-old actress' health began to deteriorate within an hour.

Now sources close to the Tony award-winning actress say she is brain dead and being flown back to New York, where she will be taken off life support.

More on the sudden, incredibly sad news here.

Comments (41) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Take it with a grain of salt, but it looks like FOX News is the only news outlet reporting that she is brain dead. Either they're being sensationalistic, or showing absolutely no class.

Neither would surprise me.

Posted by UNPAID COMMENTER on March 17, 2009 at 3:28 PM

tragic & unneccessary.

Posted by Helmets Are Warm, Too. on March 17, 2009 at 3:28 PM

What a loss of incredible talent on the stage. I hope the sources are wrong about the brain dead/life support part.

I have questions about how somebody can get hurt so badly on a beginner slope during a ski lesson, though. This wasn't just a little bump on the head.

Posted by lily on March 17, 2009 at 3:29 PM

And also, ECB was given community service today for stealing wine from QFC!!

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweek…

Posted by oh my god on March 17, 2009 at 3:29 PM

This is just dreadful. I hope Fox is wrong.

Posted by Balt-O-Matt on March 17, 2009 at 3:33 PM

I wonder if Natasha Richardson used to enjoy a nice glass of red wine after her performances.

You can pick up some decent reds at QFC for $8.99 a bottle.

Posted by or just take em on March 17, 2009 at 3:34 PM

where have you guys been. this drama has been playing out for HOURS!! preemptive reports, retractions, clarifications, denials, leaks from hospitals and "friends close to the actress/family". And it's not only Fox with the reports.

Posted by what a world on March 17, 2009 at 3:34 PM

Richardson has been a major advocate and fundraiser for HIV/AIDS charities over the years. Her loss would extremely tragic.

Hope all the brain dead reports are wrong.

Posted by Dave on March 17, 2009 at 3:35 PM

#4 & #6: Way to be dicks, guys.

Posted by Robin Sparkles on March 17, 2009 at 3:35 PM

who?

Posted by meks on March 17, 2009 at 3:38 PM

@9, oh yes, celebrity news. RESPECT, please!! We are talking about a celebrity here!

Posted by Sonny Bono didn't wear a helmet either on March 17, 2009 at 3:39 PM

Trolls can fuck off. Natasha Richardson is a superb artist and her death will be a great loss.

Posted by Matt from Denver on March 17, 2009 at 3:43 PM

She was shot on Hearst's yacht. Don't let the Mont-Tremblant setting fool you.

Posted by not max linder on March 17, 2009 at 3:43 PM

I am very very very sad to hear this news.

Dang.

Two greats died today.

Posted by Will in Seattle on March 17, 2009 at 3:46 PM

@3, skiing on the East coast can be waaaaaaay icier than in this area. She probably wasn't wearing a helmet, so a fall could literally be like falling on an ice skating rink. I know from my two concussions at Killington before I finally started wearing a helmet.

Posted by john cocktosin on March 17, 2009 at 3:47 PM

Not that TMZ is more trustworthy than Fox (I abstain from comment there) but they're claiming that as of two pm, they'd spoken to folks at the hospital, and she has a brain injury, is in critical condition, but is not brain dead: http://www.tmz.com/2009/03/17/natasha-ri…

Posted by Brought to you by the final exam I don't want to study for on March 17, 2009 at 3:53 PM

@11, they're dickish comments for this subject regardless of the celebrity status of the people involved.

Posted by Robin Sparkles on March 17, 2009 at 3:54 PM

@12, exactly! Celebrity news is vital. The trolls who don't think this is important are lesser people.

Posted by Sonny Bono on March 17, 2009 at 3:54 PM

This happened, more or less, to a friend of mine last fall. She was bumped off her bike, stopped at a red light, by a driver at slow speed pulling up to the light, and bumped her head (sadly not wearing a helmet). She was taken to the hospital, no skull injury, and talked to people and seemed fine, then went brain dead overnight and died a couple of days later.

This happens. It seems like it should take more than that, but it doesn't.

Posted by DavidG on March 17, 2009 at 3:54 PM

you can let the ECB thing go now, trolls. we've read your comments all day. your work is done.

Posted by Helmets Are Warm, Too. on March 17, 2009 at 3:55 PM

@17 Do you know how many people die skiing every year?

But this one deserves an "OH MY GOD" headline?

Posted by celebrities matter more on March 17, 2009 at 3:57 PM

I really don't want Liam Neesan to be sad.

Posted by citrus on March 17, 2009 at 4:02 PM

Registration now.

Death to trolls.

Posted by michael strangeways on March 17, 2009 at 4:17 PM

Poor Michael Strangeways is having his internet entertainment experience ruined.

Posted by Why So Serious? on March 17, 2009 at 4:19 PM

Michael Strangeways:

Death to Trolls,

But don't label the child rapists.

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archive…

(comment 36)

Posted by red red wi-i-i-ne. on March 17, 2009 at 4:27 PM

slashdot style registration, mod, and metamod would be good, but dicks like 4,6,25 should be pushed off an icy cliff while skiing backwards.

You can get icy runs here too, if you go north.

Posted by Will in Seattle on March 17, 2009 at 4:35 PM

I lost an exgirlfriend like this. Car accident, fine, six hours later dead of cerebral hemorrhage. Blah. By the way, NR was really good in the remake of "Parent Trap."

Posted by Big Sven on March 17, 2009 at 4:36 PM

Do people actually wear helmets skiing? Is that normal?

Posted by Tizzle on March 17, 2009 at 4:50 PM

Carpe Diem

Posted by Westside forever on March 17, 2009 at 4:53 PM

She was really good in all kinds of stuff.

Paris Hilton will live to be 105, btw.

Posted by Judah on March 17, 2009 at 5:00 PM

It doesn't look like this "brain dead" thing has been confirmed by any reputable news sources yet (not that I could find anyway). I've got my fingers crossed. She's a great actress and this would be a terrible loss.

Posted by Jane on March 17, 2009 at 5:25 PM

@ 31,

Yes, we have to wait for Dr. Bill Frist to diagnose her before we can make that call.

Posted by yucca flower on March 17, 2009 at 6:05 PM

@32 -- I'd settle for any doctor who is actually treating her and who doesn't start his/her sentence with, "I can only speculate, but. . ."

Posted by Jane on March 17, 2009 at 6:41 PM

God, what a terrible thing. But are we sure she wasn't accidentally shot by Claudine Longet?

Posted by Spider Sabich on March 17, 2009 at 6:45 PM

This aint good folks...

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/l…

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/arti…

Posted by freshnycman on March 17, 2009 at 7:22 PM

@28: are you shitting me?

Posted by Max Solomon on March 17, 2009 at 7:39 PM

36, i've never seen anyone wear one. mind you, i haven't skied in like...10 years or so. maybe things have changed. would make sense, though--skiing can be extremely dangerous. i came within an inch of being tree meat once, like sonny bono.

Posted by ellarosa on March 17, 2009 at 9:09 PM

wow. i saw her in Cabaret at studio 54 with Michal C Hall. She was amazing. What a loss.

Posted by konstantConsumer on March 17, 2009 at 10:53 PM

If they flew her to NY, she is brain dead. No patient would be allowed to fly with brain swelling.

The fact that they took her from the hospital to NY is BAD news.

Pray for the family. Very Sad. ;(

Posted by Stop Making 'Light' of This! on March 17, 2009 at 11:27 PM

I live a block from the hospital she's at (Lenox Hill). There's the usual satellite truck forest outside on Lexington. The news-festival continues...

Posted by Cracker Jack on March 18, 2009 at 6:28 AM

She's gone.

I'm listening to Cabaret. RIP to a fabulous actress.

Posted by sloggerette on March 18, 2009 at 6:04 PM