Richardson Being Treated in New York Hospital, No Comments on Condition

Tony winning actress Natasha Richardson was privately flown away from the Montreal hospital where she was being treated Tuesday afternoon as speculation swirled regarding the seriousness of her condition after her fall at the upscale Mont Tremblant ski resort.

She is now being treated at Manhattan's Lenox Hill Hospital.

Nearly 24 hours after Richardson took a fall that a Tremblant spokesperson said looked harmless enough, media reports have widely varied concerning her condition with a few saying she was brain dead and one sadly claiming she passed away from her injuries.

A source close to New York friends of Richardson, speaking to BWW on the condition of anonymity sadly confirmed that she was "brain-dead", another actor, who appeared on stage with her in a recent Broadway revival was distraught, shared the news that it was "very, very serious".

Richardson won her Tony in 1998 for playing Sally Bowles in "Cabaret," and is "theater royalty" commented William Ivey Long to the New York Daily News. Long designed her costumes for the musical.

"Natasha is strong, but when you hear about something so horrible you think about those vulnerable characters" she has played, said Long.

Several members of the theatrical industry were too overwhelmed to speak on the very sad nature of the developing situation.

Both the New York Post and FOXNews.com news sites said the actress was brain dead and had been flown to Manhattan to be taken off life-support.

Other websites such as E!ONLINE and TMZ claimed that the 45-year-old actress had swelling of the brain.

Access Hollywood has addressed the rumor plagued status of actress Richardson's condition following her accident on Monday detailing the conflicted nature of how to report this sad breaking news situation.

Her mother, Vanessa Redgrave visited Lennox Hill Hospital this evening to visit her daughter, but gave no comment.

CBC News was updating that the award winning British actress had left a Montreal hospital this morning after being injured in a skiing accident.

A spokeswoman for Montreal's Sacré-Coeur hospital told CBC that the actress was "no longer in the country," but did not comment on where Richardson was transferred to, nor the true level of her injuries. The spokeswoman did say, however, that a family representative will release a statement Wednesday.

According to online reports, Richardson, 45, was transferred via private jet to New York, with her husband, actor Liam Neeson, by her side.

One erroneous report on the Time Out New York website indicated that Ms. Richardson succumbed to her critical injuries and passed away.

Natasha Richardson was critically injured in a ski accident on Monday afternoon and was being treated in a Montreal hospital.

IrishCentral.com reported Richardson, who has appeared in more than 35 films including The Parent Trap and Maid in Manhattan, was on a ski vacation and was hurt while skiing.

Richardson is the wife of Liam Neeson, and is the daughter of legendary actress Vanessa Redgrave.

The New York Post's Michael Riedel reported in his 'On Broadway' column last month that the mother and daughter team of Vanessa Redgrave and Natasha Richardson had such a wonderful time performing in the Roundabout gala benefit reading of Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music" last month that they're up for a full-fledged revival on Broadway next year.

Richardson made her feature film debut as Mary Shelley in Ken Russell's "Gothic" (1986). Her performance caught the attention of director Paul Schrader, who cast her in the title role in "Patty Hearst" (1988), In 1995 she co-starred with Jodie Foster and Liam Neeson in "Nell" (1994) and, in 1998, in "The Parent Trap" (1998) with Dennis Quaid. Her recent films include "Blow Dry" (2001) released in 2001, and Ethan Hawke's "Chelsea Walls" (2001).

She and her family are in the thoughts and prayers of BWW and the entire theatre community.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.