Natasha was 29 at the time, and married to producer Robert Fox. That wasn’t enough to stop the romance from blossoming between her and Liam, though. Her marriage was falling apart, and at the same time, she “fell very much in love” with Liam.
Their chemistry was obvious for everyone present. Luckily for Liam, who was 40 at the time, Natasha’s marriage to Robert was already coming to an end.
When Natasha celebrated her 30th birthday, Liam decided to send her a card from the set of Schindler’s List.
”You’re catching up with me. Lots of love, Oskar.” (Liam played Oskar Schindler in the film.)
But Natasha didn’t find the message as romantic as intended. Instead, she decided it was time to be upfront.
She responded by saying: ”This is like a letter from a buddy. What is our relationship?”
Right then and there, Liam knew he had fallen in love with her.
”That was when I knew I really loved this person,” he said.
”I thought, ‘This is real and genuine and is something that has to be protected.’”
Not long after, in the summer of 1994, the two were married on a farm in upstate New York.
Had two sons together
In 2018, the 63-year-old Taken actor recently appeared on My Favorite Song with John Benjamin Hickey on SiriusXM channel, when he recalled a super sweet moment from his 1994 wedding to Richardson.
Neeson revealed that their wedding song was Van Morrison’s “Crazy Love.”
They had two sons together: Michael born in 1995, followed by Daniel in 1996.
Tragically, Natasha passed away in 2009 at age 45, following a skiing accident in Quebec.
Natasha was taking private skiing lessons in the Mont Tremblant resort when she fell on a beginner’s slope. As Richardson was skiing near Montreal, she fell and took a blow to the head. She was not wearing a helmet.
In the beginning, no one, including Richardson, thought it was severe.
The actress felt okay and against her instructor’s will, she decided to go ahead with her skiing lesson. After a while, the instructor called a ski patrol and wanted medical assistance and an ambulance. But Natalie refused.
However, Natalie and the ski instructor returned to her luxurious Hotel Quintessence room and did checkups to ensure she was okay.
Later, it was revealed that the paramedics who came to the room were turned away. They again recommended she should be seen by a doctor.
Approximately an hour after the incident Mrs. Richardson was not feeling good. An ambulance was called and Mrs. Richardson was brought to the Centre Hospitalier Laurentien in Ste-Agathe and was later trasferred to Hôpital du Sacre-Coeur”.
It turned out that she had suffered serious trauma and it turned out that the impact had left her brain “squashed up against the sided of her skull.”
“I was told she was brain dead. She was on life support and stuff,” Neeson recalled. “And I went in… and told her I loved her. I said, ‘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.’”
In the end, Neeson understood that he had to remove her from life support. On 60 Minutes, he explained that the two had “made a pact” that if either one of them got into a “vegetative state,” they were to “pull the plug.”
Natasha passed away on March 18, 2009. But one comforting thing for Neeson was finding her wife’s organ donor status. He said that her heart, liver, and kidneys went to people in need.
For five years following her tragic death, grief-stricken Liam kept silent, finally opening up in a 2014 episode of 60 Minutes.
”I went in to her and I told her I loved her…”
He went on to tell Anderson Cooper that he hadn’t understood the seriousness of Natasha’s accident.
Liam recalled arriving at the hospital. ”She was on life support”, he said.
At the hospital, Liam was shown Natasha’s X-rays.
Doctors told him that his wife was alive, but was considered to be in a vegetative state. She would never recover, according to the medical professionals.
”I’ve taken a tumble in the snow..”
”I spoke to her and she said, “Oh darling. I’ve taken a tumble in the snow.”
‘That’s how she described it.”
It’s heartbreaking to hear him describe their final moments together.
”I went in to her and told her I loved her. Said, ‘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. And we’re bringing ya back to New York. All your family and friends will come”, he said.
And five years after she passed away, Liam was understandably still struggling to come to terms with his loss.
In an interview with Loaded magazine, he said: ”Her death was never real. It still kind of isn’t.”
Looking back at their marriage, one of Liam says one of his favorite things about Natasha was her generous and infectious maternal love.
“She cared for everybody,” he said. “She has a motherly instinct. And she’d make dinners for everyone and just looked looked after us all.”
The couple had consented to be organ donors, and Liam saw that promise through after Natasha’s death.
With her passing, Natasha gave life to three people, even though she left three family members behind whose lives would never be the same again.
”Life is very short”
Now, each year, as their wedding anniversary rolls around, Liam remembers the love they shared.
In 2016, Liam shared a message with fans on social media remembering his late wife. He advised everyone to cherish their partners and make the most of each and every day together.
”We have to stop and be thankful for our spouses. Because, life is very short. Spend time with your spouses. Treat them well. Because, one day, when you look up from your phone, they won’t be there anymore. Live and love (every day) like it’s your last. Because, one day, it will be. Take chances and go live life. Tell the ones you love, that you love them every day.”
Liam could not underline enough that people should not take any moment for granted. “Life is worth living,” he said.
Very true, Liam. Very true indeed.
What beautiful memories he has to cling to, and wonderful life instructions for the rest of us to remember and guide us through our own lives!
A young businessman had been so caught up in his hectic schedule that he couldn’t find time to care for his sick father. So, he made the tough decision to place him in a nursing home.
The sleek, black sedan hummed along the highway, a stark contrast to the quiet, labored breathing coming from the back seat. Michael, a young businessman with a perpetually furrowed brow, gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white. Beside him, his eight-year-old son, Ethan, stared out the window, his gaze fixed on the blur of passing trees.
In the back, Michael’s father, Thomas, sat frail and thin, his once vibrant eyes now clouded with illness. Michael had been wrestling with this decision for weeks, maybe even months. His schedule was relentless, a constant barrage of meetings, deadlines, and international calls. Caring for his father, whose health had deteriorated rapidly, had become an impossible task.
He’d visited countless nursing homes, searching for the “best” one, the one with the most amenities, the most attentive staff. He’d convinced himself it was the right thing to do, the responsible thing.
As they neared the facility, a grand, imposing structure nestled amidst manicured lawns, Ethan turned to his father, his eyes wide and innocent. “Dad,” he asked, his voice soft, “what’s the address of this place where we’re leaving Grandpa?”
Michael’s heart clenched. He’d tried to shield Ethan from the reality of the situation, but children, he’d learned, saw everything. “Why do you ask, son?” he replied, his voice strained. “Do you want to visit Grandpa and know where he’ll be?”
Ethan shook his head, his gaze unwavering. “No, Dad. I just want to know where I should bring you when you get old, like Grandpa.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and sharp, like a physical blow. Michael’s hands froze on the steering wheel, the car veering slightly. He stared at his son, his mind reeling. He saw not just Ethan, but a reflection of himself, a future he had unknowingly painted.
He saw the cold, sterile rooms of the nursing home, the lonely faces of the elderly residents, the emptiness of a life devoid of family. He saw himself, years from now, abandoned and forgotten, a victim of his own callousness.
The realization hit him like a tidal wave, washing away the layers of self-deception he’d built around himself. He had been so consumed by his own ambition, his own perceived importance, that he had forgotten the most fundamental truth: family was everything.
He pulled the car over to the side of the road, the hum of the engine a stark contrast to the sudden silence. He turned to his father, his eyes filled with remorse. “Dad,” he began, his voice choked with emotion, “I’m so sorry.”
Thomas, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and understanding, reached out and placed a trembling hand on his son’s arm. “It’s alright, Michael,” he said, his voice weak but filled with love. “We all make mistakes.”
Michael turned the car around, the grand facade of the nursing home shrinking in the rearview mirror. He drove back to their home, a simple, unassuming house filled with memories and love.
The next few months were challenging, a constant balancing act between work and family. But Michael found a way. He rearranged his schedule, delegated tasks, and learned to prioritize. He hired a part-time caregiver to assist with his father’s needs, and he made sure to spend quality time with both his father and his son.
He learned to appreciate the simple moments: a shared meal, a quiet conversation, a walk in the park. He learned that true success wasn’t measured in dollars and cents, but in the love and connection he shared with his family.
Ethan, with his innocent question, had shown him the way, reminding him that the most valuable lessons in life are often taught by the ones we least expect. And Michael, in turn, vowed to never forget the importance of family, the enduring bond that transcends time and circumstance.
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