Natasha Richardson, 1963-2009. R.I.P.

Actress Natasha Richardson has succumbed to a brain injury sustained in a skiing accident at Mount Tremblant in Quebec on Monday. She was 45.

Aside from dying far too young what has really shaken people up is that when Richardson fell she did not show outward signs of any head trauma and declined medical treatment. But a short time later she developed an intense headache and was taken to a local hospital where she rapidly deteriorated. She was transferred to a hospital in Montreal before being flown to a hospital in New York City. It was reported that she was brain dead last night and would be taken off life support today. A specific cause of death is not known but under the circumstances is most likely a brain hemorrhage or an aneurysm.

If anything good should come of this tragedy would be if people who sustain head injuries err on the side of caution and seek prompt medical attention.

Richardson appeared in such movies as The Handmaid's Tale, Nell, The Parent Trap and Maid in Manhattan. In 1998, she won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the Broadway revival of Cabaret.

She is survived by her husband actor Liam Neeson, her two sons as well as her mother actress Vanessa Redgrave, her aunt actress Lynn Redgrave and sister actress Joely Richardson.

Needless to say this is simply awful.