Natasha Richardson buried near upstate NY home

Actress Natasha Richardson has been laid to rest near the home in New York's Hudson Valley where she wed Liam Neeson.

Neeson, in a dark suit and sunglasses, was among the pallbearers who carried his wife's coffin Sunday into St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Lithgow (lith-GOW'). Richardson was buried at a nearby cemetery.

Neeson arrived at the tiny white clapboard church with the couple's sons and his mother-in-law, Vanessa Redgrave. Also among the mourners were Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman and Laura Linney.

The 45-year-old Richardson died Wednesday at a Manhattan hospital after sustaining a head injury in a skiing fall.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

MILLBROOK, N.Y. (AP) — A funeral service for actress Natasha Richardson is being held in the hilly Hudson Valley town where she wed actor Liam Neeson and raised their two sons.

Neeson was among the pallbearers for his wife's coffin as it was taken into St. Peter's Episcopal Church early Sunday afternoon.

He arrived at the tiny, white clapboard church with his sons and mother-in-law, Vanessa Redgrave.

Others at the funeral include actor Ralph Fiennes.

The 45-year-old Tony Award-winning actress died at a Manhattan hospital from a head injury suffered while skiing in Canada.

Millbrook is about 90 miles north of New York City.

Via associatedpress

Doctor: Lack of medical helicopter cost Richardson

As a steady stream of celebrities pay their last respects to Natasha Richardson, questions are arising over whether a medical helicopter might have been able to save the ailing actress.

The province of Quebec lacks a medical helicopter system, common in the United States and other parts of Canada, to airlift stricken patients to major trauma centers. Montreal's top head trauma doctor said Friday that may have played a role in Richardson's death.

"It's impossible for me to comment specifically about her case, but what I could say is ... driving to Mont Tremblant from the city (Montreal) is a 2 1/2-hour trip, and the closest trauma center is in the city. Our system isn't set up for traumas and doesn't match what's available in other Canadian cities, let alone in the States," said Tarek Razek, director of trauma services for the McGill University Health Centre, which represents six of Montreal's hospitals.

While Richardson's initial refusal of medical treatment cost her two hours, she also had to be driven to two hospitals. She didn't arrive at a specialized hospital in Montreal until about four hours after the second 911 call from her hotel room at the Mont Tremblant resort, according to a timeline published by Canada's The Globe and Mail newspaper.

Not being airlifted directly to a trauma center could have cost Richardson crucial moments, Razek said.

"A helicopter is obviously the fastest way to get from Point A to Point B," he said.

After Richardson fell and hit her head on a beginner ski slope at the Mont Tremblant resort in Quebec, the first ambulance crew left upon spotting a sled taking the still-conscious actress away to the resort's on-site clinic.

A second 911 call was made two hours later from Richardson's luxury hotel room as the actress deteriorated. Medics tended to her for a half-hour before taking her to a hospital about a 40-minute drive away.

Centre Hospitalier Laurentien in Ste-Agathe does not specialize in head traumas, so her speedy transfer to Sacre Coeur Hospital in Montreal was critical, said Razek.

"It's one of the classic presentations of head injuries, `talking and dying,' where they may lose consciousness for a minute, but then feel fine," said Razek.

Richardson, 45, died Wednesday at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. The New York City medical examiner's office ruled her death was an accident.

On Friday evening, Richardson's husband, Liam Neeson, looked distraught but grateful for the outpouring of sympathy as he greeted grieving family members and friends who attended a private viewing for his wife.

Neeson was the last to leave the viewing at the Upper East Side's American Irish Historical Society, where he was joined by the couple's sons, — Micheal, 13, and Daniel, 12 — as well as Richardson's mother, Vanessa Redgrave, and sister, Joely Richardson. An array of famous friends came to express their sadness about the family's sudden loss.

Neeson hugged friends as he left the society's building at 8:40 p.m., after more than six hours of receiving condolences from friends including Mike Nichols, Diane Sawyer, Matthew Modine, Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, Ethan Hawke, and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Also among the stream of visitors were Kenneth Cole, Laura Linney, Fisher Stevens, Howard Stern, Stanley Tucci, Julianna Margulies and Mathilde Krim of the American Foundation of AIDS Research — amfAR. Richardson had served on the charity's board of trustees since 2006.

"She looked incredibly beautiful," Krim said, adding that everyone appeared to be in shock and Neeson looked distraught as he received everybody.

Theaters in London's West End dimmed their lights Friday to mark Richardson's death, just as Broadway theaters did Thursday. In a tribute to the stage and screen actress, the lights were lowered before the curtains went up on evening performances.

Via associatedpress

Natasha Richardson dies of head injury after skiing accident

Actress Natasha Richardson died Wednesday in a New York hospital from head injuries incurred in what had seemed to be a minor skiing fall, her family announced.

The family had gathered at her bedside Wednesday for a final, tragic vigil after the British born actress, 45, was critically injured Monday in the skiing accident in Canada's Quebec province.

"Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha," said a statement released by publicist Alan Nierob. "They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time."

The statement late Wednesday came after numerous reports had said that Richardson was brain dead and that her family members were facing the agonizing decision to take her off life support. People magazine had earlier quoted a family friend as saying that Richardson had "no chance."

Richardson was born into a theatrical family on May 11, 1963, in London. Her father, Tony Richardson, was a director who won an Oscar for Tom Jones, while her mother, Vanessa Redgrave, won the supporting-actress Academy Award for 1977's Julia.

She made her own impact on the film world in the Ken Russell movie Gothic in 1986. Richardson also starred in the 1988 movie Patty Hearst, The Handmaid's Tale in 1990 and Nell in 1994, when she appeared with Neeson, whom she married later that year. The couple have two sons, Micheal Richard Antonio, 13, and Daniel Jack, 12, who were reportedly skiing with her when the accident happened.

Later films included the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap and Wild Child in 2008. She was an accomplished stage actress, winning a Tony for her performance as Sally Bowles in the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret.

Just before the skiing accident, Richardson was considering a Broadway revival with her mother of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, following a highly praised one-night January staging at New York's Studio 54.

Richardson was injured Monday afternoon in a seemingly harmless fall while skiing on a bunny slope at the Mont Tremblant resort, 125 kilometres north-west of Montreal.

According to a spokesperson for the ski resort, Richardson fell during a private lesson on a beginner slope while not wearing a helmet. She managed to walk back to her room and was laughing and joking but was taken to hospital an hour later when she started having headaches.

After her condition turned gravely worse, she was flown on Tuesday back to New York on a private jet.

Via efluxmedia.com

Natasha Richardson injured in ski accident

Actress Natasha Richardson was seriously injured Monday in a skiing accident, according to reports.

The 45-year-old star of "Evening" and "The Handmaid's Tale" was skiing at the Mont Tremblant resort in Quebec when she had the accident and suffered a head injury, the AP says. She was initially taken to a hospital near the resort and then transferred to one in Montreal, where she is in critical condition.

A family member confirmed that Richardson, who is married to actor Liam Neeson, had had an accident but didn't provide any other details.

Richardson is the daughter of Oscar winner Vanessa Redgrave and director Tony Richardson. Her sister Joely Richardson is known for the FX series "Nip/Tuck"

Natasha Richardson's other credits include "Gothic," "Nell" and "The Parent Trap."

Via zap2it.com