Acclaimed actress Natasha Richardson, the wife of actor Liam Neeson and daughter of acting legend Vanessa Redgrave, died Wednesday of a critical head injury resulting from a skiing accident; she was 45.

Richardson had been taking a beginner's skiing lesson at the Mont Tremblant ski resort in Quebec when she fell in what appeared to be a minor mishap; the actress was reported to be laughing and joking as she walked back to her room with assistance from her ski instructor. She began to complain of headaches within an hour of the accident, and was taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to Montreal's Sacre Coeur Hospital. Her husband, Liam Neeson, was in Toronto filming the movie Chloe when he heard of the incident, and rushed to her side. After being pronounced brain dead in Montreal, Richardson was later transferred by plane to New York where she was met by family and friends, who held a vigil at her bedside at Lenox Hill hospital. She was later taken off life support, and passed away early Wednesday evening.

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