natasha richardson life support

The family of Natasha Richardson is reported to have taken her off life support Wednesday afternoon after a skiing accident left her brain dead.

Richardson was surrounded by family including her mother Vanessa Redgrave, aunt Lynn Redgrave, husband Liam Neeson and her two sons Michael 13, and Daniel 12.

Richardson was flown to New York yesterday to be close to family and friends. Initial reports suggested that she was in a serious condition, although TMZ was alone in denying the reports. With life support switched off, it’s believed that she won’t last the night.

Since her arrival, Neeson and the couple's two sons had been keeping vigil. Also paying visits were members of Richardson's family, including her mother, Oscar winner Vanessa Redgrave, sister Joely Richardson and aunt Lynn Redgrave.

“It’s particularly tragic for Vanessa,” laments a Richardson confidante, “because she just finished playing a woman who loses her daughter in The Year of Magical Thinking, and now she has to endure it all over again.”

"[Richardson] was accompanied by an experienced ski instructor who immediately called the ski patrol," a statement from the Mont Tremblant resort said. "She did not show any visible sign of injury, but the ski patrol followed strict procedures and brought her back to the bottom of the slope and insisted she should see a doctor."

Resort spokeswoman Catherine Lacasse said that the actress was not wearing a ski helmet for her lesson. Reports say she was with her two sons with Neeson, Micheal Richard Antonio, 13, and Daniel Jack, 12, and returned to her hotel room shortly afterward.

"She was laughing and joking, and she walked to her room on her own," Lacasse said.

An hour later, Richardson fell ill with a headache. She reportedly was conscious upon leaving for the hospital. Richardson was transferred to Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal at about 5 p.m. after initially being taken to Centre Hospitalier Laurentien, which is close to the tony ski resort in Quebec.

The couple left the hospital together via ambulance at about 12:30 p.m. and were taken to Elliott Trudeau Airport to board a private flight back to New York.

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