UTTER SADNESS BECAUSE NATASHA RICHARDSON HAS DIED

I first met her on the set of “Julia.” She was a little girl but already
beautiful and graceful. It didn’t surprise me that she became such a
talented actor. I wanted to go to the Lennox Hill Hospital where I was
told she had been taken to see if there was anything I could do for
Vanessa, any comfort I could bring but today was a two-show day and as
the curtain went up tonight I heard the tragic news. It is hard to even
imagine what it must be like for her family. My heart is heavy.

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  1. I remember seeing you and Vanessa Redgrave in “In Search of Debra Winger” talking about your experience of working and being parents. I don’t think there is anything worse than burying your child.

  2. She was a classy lady, and will be missed.

  3. “Julia” has always been one of my favorite movies, with two of my favorite actresses, and I have also been a fan of Natasha’s for many years. So very sad…

    Although acting is not my career, it is my main hobby. Right now I’m lucky enough to be appearing in a musical at the Omaha Community Playhouse in the smaller theatre built by the donations made in memory of your father. Reading your blog has been very interesting.

  4. Natasha was such an inspiring mother, wife, daughter, and actress…Her presence in NYC is already missed by us all. I was just on Etsy, the hand-made eBay, and came across silkscreened shirts by an indie designer that are a tribute to her. What a wonderful idea! http://www.coup.etsy.com

  5. I was wondering if you had met her on the set of Julia (just one of my favorite all time movies of yours).

  6. I would imagine it is quite a sight when the lights are dimmed on Broadway as a tribute to an actor who has passed. Question for you, Jane. Do you believe in reincarnation? After battling esophageal cancer for two years, my brother passed away last September at age 54. I keep hoping that he gets another chance at life and want to believe that he does. What do you think happens to our souls after our hearts stop beating? Are we reunited?

  7. My heart is heavy this loss. I’ve always loved Natasha’s performances. Liam, her boys, her mother, sister, and friends must be in deep sadness. My prayers and thoughts are with you all.

  8. I keep reflecting on that scene in the movie “Evening”, where Natasha is on the bed with Vanessa. The mother-daughter love was very apparent watching that movie, not to mention the talent. I’m feeling sad for this life lost and for her family.

  9. A truly gifted actress who will be missed not only by her family; but by anyone who enjoyed sitting down and watching a good movie with an actress who became each role she played. I really enjoyed her work; and the only thing I can add is something my mother said to me when I asked why God lets these things happen; these strange twists of fate. She said “He doesn’t make them happen, but always remember that He’s there for you when they do.”

  10. I am so sad that is amazing woman, in her prime is gone.

    I enjoyed her acting. I thought she was great in the remake of The Parent Trap. My granddaughter loved that movie.

    I didn’t know Ms. Richardson, but I feel that a light has been put out way to soon.

  11. i was shocked about the tragic news..it was so unreal ,at first i thought is this a joke ohh! it must been a joke.. but when i search the web then find out that this was real my heart just break..coz im a huge fan of natasha.. I wish she could live a longer life..but God take her already and the world now mourned for her. my condolences to all of her love ones it must have been very hard for them.. may you rest in peace natasha!! we love you.

  12. My heart goes out to her family. I pray that they can find peace and continue on with their lives. It will not be easy, I know, but it can be done. It just takes time. The pain will never go away, but time will make it easier to bear. God bless you & all those who loved her, she really seemed like a wonderful person & she will be greatly missed. Like the lights on Broadway, the world is a little dimmer without her, she was truly a classy lady!!!!!!

  13. What I will always remember about Natash was how in every picture with Liam or her 2 sons she beamed with a wonderful glow! You could tell she absolutely adored them. When she was with Liam she always deferred to him & the love between them was palpable. It still breaks our hearts to think she is gone.
    Ken & Arthur Blankstein-Ure
    Canada.

  14. Jane,
    My name is Stephanie and I am a writer.

    Please contact me as I have wriiten a play that I think you would certainly have some interest in.

    Regards,

    Stephanie

  15. Toutes mes condoléances a la famille de Natasha, une grande et merveilleuse actrice disparue trop tôt , elle nous manquera a tous et mes pensées vont a son marie Liam Neeson et ses enfants et toute sa famille.
    Nous ne t’oublierons jamais Natasha
    marie nadine

  16. Her death was very sad and my heart goes out to Vanessa Redgrave and Liam Neeson.

  17. BTW..I so love Julia. I feel such a connection to Lillian Hellmann. Pentimento was such an experience for me….and Lillian Hellmann,along with Tennessee Williams and a few others…have taught me how to be a Southerner and appreciate the south.

  18. although i’m not a religious person, my thoughs go to the family, to the husband and to the children.

    it’s a situation which strikes home : i lost my husband 10 years ago, and my boys were of the same age as daniel and michael neeson.

    if these words may be of any consolation at all : when a person dies, a new star is born in the sky and its light shines upon us every single day. I really appreciated nathasha richardson as an actor, she was fantastic, and i am convinced she must have been a very generous person.

  19. My prayers and thoughts go to Natasha’s family. My heart breaks for them. She was a beautiful woman and is now a beautiful angel with our heavenly father….She will always be remembered…

  20. Hello JANE FONDA,

    leider ist mein English nicht so gut, deshalb in German.

    Es tut mir wirklich leid, sie war ein toller Mensch, super Schauspielerin, Mom und Ehefrau.

    in Gedenken ,

    Melanie Oestermann

  21. Iam profoundly saddened by the passing of Natasha Richardson.

    It leaves me pondering how it is possible for Human Beings to be so strong and resiliant and at same time so vunerable and fragile.

    Still, I find comfort realising that Natasha’s greatest legacy to us all is just how successful she was at living her life.

    If life proves all too short, it should be lived well.

  22. I am so very sad for the loss of your friend Natasha. She was such a kind and beautiful person and taken away too soon. A terrific acctress. You are a wonderful actress and one of my favorite movies is On Golden Pond. You have been through a lot and you are still standing strong. You give me hope and courage as a single mother to keep going and never give up on your dreams.
    Peace and love,
    Shannon

  23. I can’t stop thinking about her poor mother. I admire the entire Redgrave family tremendessly, especially Vanessa and Natasha. They are so very special and have touched my heart so many times. I was lucky enough to meet Natasha in London once. She had this very special glow around her and seemed genuinly nice.
    My heart goes out to her mother, Liam Neeson and her sons. This is so devastating
    From Holland i am sending my deepest symphaties to the family.

  24. I Loved watching Natasha Richardson in Movies.
    My Favorite movie of hers was “The Parent Trap”
    She was so Great in that movie.
    My heart goes out to her Family and Friends.
    She is now in Heaven with her Father and she is watching over her Family and Friends over these hard days ahead.
    She will always be remembered by Millions of her Fans that Loved her so much, I included.
    May God take her in his arms.
    Rest In Peace our Angel
    You where the Greatest at everything you done.

  25. Just wanted to ask you., {How are you doing with your health ?}
    i SURE HOPE EVERYTHING IS GOING GREAT FOR YOUR SELF. We would Love to see you in more films for years to come, So Please take care of yourself.
    You have people out there whom Loves You.

    WE SURE WILL MISS NATASHA RICHARDSON.
    SHE WAS AN AGNEL SENT TO US AND WILL BE WATCHING OVER ALL HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS THROUGH OUT THESE COMIG DAYS THAT WILL BE SO HARD TO BEAR.
    I KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO LOOSE LOVED ONE.
    I LOST MY OLDEST SISTER JEANNIE PADILLA BACK IN 1982 AND THEN IN 1998 I LOST MY BROTHER BRUCE PADILLA, AND NOW I AM MISSING MY OLDEST BROTHER BEN CHARLES PADILLA, JR.
    HE BECAME MISSING IN ANGOLA, AFRICA IN 2003 AND WAS BELIEVED TO BE HI-JACKED AND I STILL HAVE NOT FOUND HIM.
    LAST YEAR I LOST MY MOTHER AND WHEN SHE DIED, SHE NEVER KNEW THE FATE OF MY BROTHER BEN.
    SO, YOU SEE I KNOW HOW HARD DEATH IS TO HANDLE. IT IS LIKE A PART OF YOU DIE RIGHT ALONG WITH THEM.
    Natasha Richardson will be so missed for years to come, but I believe she will be watching over all her Family Menbers and Her Friends.
    She will be Our Angel watching over us.
    Rest In Peace Natasha and Be Our Angel.

  26. Yes, she was a great Lady. This is very, very sad. And so unfair.

  27. My heart and prayers are with Liam and his sons. May the passing of each day dull their pain, and may God be with them through all time as he is with Natasha.

    When The Lights Went Out On Broadway

    Stripped of all my dreams, I stand here in this field, numb alone.
    Only existence, no rhyme.
    All there is,is space, where only emptiness awaits me.
    Everything is fading into the shadows now,and all I have left are memories.
    I can still see your face and hear your voice.
    I will not surrender these.
    When will will my soul bask in the warmth of your joy again?
    When will this blade be pulled from my heart?
    Oh, to smile with you again. For now, I must wander the journey alone, since the night the lights went out on Broadway.

    Peter Gough

  28. I usually do not write on blogs but I have been reading for weeks about Natasha Richardson death.

    It bothers me that a young and talented person is gone that fast.

    What a missed opportunity for the movie industry and a true fighter for a cure of AIDS

    Her beautiful family and her wonderful mother.

    Vanessa Redgrave for all her outspokenness she made a difference in this world

    Also for all those terrible people for saying nasty things about the Redgrave family (You should be ashamed of yourself)

    This young beautiful woman was taken from us and we should be grateful of the wonderful gifts Ms Natasha Richardson gave us for her short time on this earth

  29. I had the immense privilege of working under Tony Richardson’s direction in a cameo role on his last film, Bluesky.

    After he succumbed to A.I.D.S. I attended the film’s opening at Lincoln Center which was a benefit for A.I.D.S. – afterward we had supper and dancing late into the evening at the Tavern on The Green. I met Vanessa and Natasha there. It was the most magical evening of my life. Natasha spoke with such obvious love and pride for her father and Vanessa was more than generous in applauding my little role as a French NATO Officer in the film. What I learned that evening as I have in other occasions, is that the truly gifted artists are the most humble and generous and lacking in ego nonsense. Both Vanessa and Natasha were so kind and gentle and unassuming to me as if I were a well-known distant cousin.

    When I was a boy, on my first trip to New York City with my father, on a wintry, snowy night, he took to me to Radio City Music Hall to see Mary Queen of Scots. It was the first time I ever experienced Vanessa’s incandescent prowess as an actor. I was profoundly moved by her performance.

    Later when I was starting my own “career” as an actor, my circle of devout thespians would watch Julia, over and over and over. I can recite the film by heart practically, to this day:

    “I am a string of beads and outside it Degas and Renoir”

    “Hello Mr. Johanne! Hello!”

    “Happy New Year Julia.”

    “I buy Mayonnaise and I’m famous”

    “It’s just fame Lilly. It’s just a paint job. Buy all the fur coats you want but remember it has nothing to do with writing.”

    I love Vanessa. I love you. And my heart ached so when I heard of the tragic loss of this fine young and beautiful actor. Every day is a blessing. Every day a miracle and an opportunity to create, express, grow, learn and teach. As you said in your rehearsal for death post, we never know when or how.

  30. Pingback: Natasha Richardson 1963-2009 | Fancast News

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