Natasha Richardson is gone, but never forgotten — especially by her mother, Vanessa Redgrave.
The late Parent Trap star’s sister, fellow actress Joely Richardson, shared an emotional message from their mother in honor of what would have been Natasha’s 62nd birthday on Sunday.
“Today would have been my sister Tasha’s birthday,” Joely began the Instagram post. “I asked my Ma if she’d like to say anything. This is what she dictated to me.”
Per Joely, Redgrave, 88, reminisced on how her and then-husband Tony named Natasha (the two were married from 1962-67).
“We were in Greece. We sat drinking our coffees in Constitution Square. Tony said if the baby was a boy we should call him Tom. I said if she was a girl I would like her to be called Natasha after Tolstoy ‘s ‘War and Peace’. Our Natasha, as yes she was a girl, came swimming out of my womb ready for anything,'” Redgrave said.
The veteran actress continued, “‘I can’t believe that she isn’t swimming somewhere now, in one of the pools or seas we explored. I will never be reconciled to her dying in the snow, and I’m sure that every mother who has lost a child will have that pain always.'”
Natasha died suddenly at age 45 after suffering an epidural hematoma, or bleeding on the brain. On March 16, 2009, Natasha suffered a head injury after a skiing accident that occurred on a beginners’ trail during a private lesson at the Mont Tremblant resort in Canada. According to initial reports, the actress declined medical attention at the time, and it was believed the injury wasn’t serious.
A few hours later, she complained of a bad headache and was flown to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, where she died two days later. At the time, she had been married to actor Liam Neeson for nearly 15 years. The couple shared sons Micheál and Daniel.
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Jemal Countess/WireImage
Natasha Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave attend ‘A Little Night Music’ concert gala in 2009
Joely’s Instagram post also featured three sweet photos of the sisters and their mother through the years. Several stars voiced their love for Natasha and fam, including Andy Cohen, Julianne Moore, Richard E. Grant, and Amy Sedaris, who all left various heart emojis in comments on the post.
“Happy birthday beautiful Tash,” Cohen, who has spoken about his own friendship with Natasha, wrote.
Just a few years ago, Natasha’s Parent Trap costar, Lindsay Lohan, also shared a sweet birthday tribute to the star. In it, Lohan shared a photo still from the 1998 film, a remake of the 1961 Disney classic, showing her strolling with Natasha, who would have turned 58 at the time.
“Happy Birthday Angel 🙏 #natasharichardson 💙,” Lohan captioned the shot.
In addition to The Parent Trap, Natasha was also known for The Handmaid’s Tale (1990), Nell (1994), Maid in Manhattan (2002), and The White Countess (2005), as well as her work in the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
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