Broadway dimmed its lights for one minute last night to honor its fallen star Natasha Richardson, hours after the city medical examiner ruled that her death was caused by bleeding on the brain.
Richardson, 45, suffered an epidural hematoma caused by blunt-force impact to the head, which she suffered while skiing at a resort north of Montreal on Monday, the Medical Examiner’s Office determined after an autopsy yesterday.
“It was ruled an accident,” said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the office.
A hematoma is a mass of blood caused by a torn vessel that, in this case, formed between the skull and brain. Medical experts say it is one of the most serious conditions a person can face.
The pressure from the blood can crush the brain, causing so much damage that it can be fatal if not relieved quickly by surgery.
According to reports, Richardson was talking after a seemingly minor fall on the beginners slope. Medical experts say such a “lucid interval” is common with this type of injury.
Richardson went back to her hotel after the incident, which was thought to be so minor, an ambulance dispatched to the resort was sent back, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported yesterday.
The accident happened at the Mont Tremblant resort, where the actress was on vacation while her husband, actor Liam Neeson, was filming in Toronto. One of their two young sons, 13-year-old Michéal, was also there.
Richardson was rushed back to New York, but died from her injury Wednesday at Lenox Hill Hospital.
A doctor yesterday said that the tragedy should be a warning that all skiers should wear a helmet.
“It’s a very good idea, and I think the trend is more and more that helmets are becoming very commonplace,” said Dr. Arno Fried, chief of neurosurgery at Hackensack University Medical Center.
Borakove said that Richardson’s body was taken to a funeral home in Greenwich Village after the autopsy. Sources said a private funeral was planned for Sunday near the family’s home in upstate Millbrook.
Richardson, who won a Tony Award in 1998 for her role in “Cabaret,” was the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and a member of one of the premiere acting families of stage and screen.
She was remembered by many of her grieving friends in the entertainment industry.
“Tasha is irreplaceable,” said Mia Farrow. “I cannot think of anyone kinder, more generous, thoughtful, smarter or more fun. She is the godmother of two of my children.”
Ralph Fiennes, who was Neeson’s co-star in “Schindler’s List,” said, “She was an adoring and loving wife and mother. She was unique.”
Despite the tragedy, Redgrave plans to go ahead with an April 27 performance of “The Year of Magical Thinking,” an adaptation of Joan Didion’s book, at The Cathedral of St. John the Devine.
Redgrave starred in the play about a woman dealing with the death of her daughter on Broadway last year.
With Matthew Nestel and Post Wire Services