Natasha Richardson died suddenly after a skiing accident in 2009
Actress Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson attend the American Ireland Fund’s 33rd Annual New York Gala Fundraiser at The Tent at Lincoln Center on May 8, 2008 (Image: Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic via Getty Images)
Liam Neeson’s last words to his late wife, Natasha Richardson, were an attempt to offer comfort in her final moments. The actress suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2009, after a fall during a beginner skiing lesson with her eldest son, Micheál.
The actress initially told her husband she’d “taken a tumble in the snow,” before being taken up to her hotel room. Three hours later, she was rushed to hospital where it was discovered blood had been pooling in her brain, causing fatal pressure. The accident left Natasha brain dead and left Neeson with an incredibly difficult decision.
In the interview he explained that during their 15 years together, the couple made a pact that if either of them ended up in a vegetative state “we’d pull the plug.” When he saw her hooked up to various tubes and wires, he knew it was time to let her go.
He told her: “Sweetie, you’re not coming back from this. You’ve banged your head. It’s…I don’t know if you can hear me, but that’s…this is what’s gone down. We’re bringing you back to New York. All your family and friends will come.”
Neeson also explained that they were able to donate three of her organs, her heart, liver and kidneys. “She’s keeping three people alive at the moment. I think she would be really thrilled and pleased with that too.”
Neeson, now 71, has not remarried since her death in 2009. The couple share two sons, Micheál and Daniel.
