One of the largest festivals in America is the Fourth of July, which is now celebrated with fireworks and parades all around the country.
Actor Liam Neeson, meanwhile, only feels loss, anguish, and sorrow in the days leading up to what should be a joyous holiday, while many others eagerly anticipate a day full of fun and celebrations.
On July 3, Liam and Natasha Richardson marked the first anniversary of their union.
The type of love that served as the model for the Hollywood films and productions Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson performed in existed between them long before tragedy terminated their 16-year marriage.
The enjoyable experiences Liam Neeson had with his late wife will never be forgotten. The actor, who was born in Northern Ireland, briefly dated Brooke Shields before meeting Natasha Richardson, who would later become his wife.
Similar to Mirren, they met while working together on the Broadway production of Anna Christie in 1993, and they quickly became romantically involved.
The two met while performing opposite one another in the Broadway production of Anna Christie in 1993.
“I’d never had that kind of explosive chemistry situation with an actor or actress,” he said. “We just had this wonderful kind of dance-free dance on stage every night. She and I were like [Fred] Astaire and [Ginger] Rogers.”
Natasha got married to producer Robert Fox at the age of 29. However, it wasn’t enough to prevent her and Liam from falling in love. She “fell very much in love” with Liam at the same time that her marriage was disintegrating.
Everyone in the room could see their chemistry. Fortunately for Liam, who was 40 at the time, Natasha and Robert’s union was already dissolving.
Liam made the choice to send Natasha a card from the Schindler’s List set for her 30th birthday.
”You’re catching up with me. Lots of love, Oskar.” (Liam played Oskar Schindler in the film.)
However, Natasha didn’t find the message to be as romantic as she had hoped. She instead decided that the time had come to be honest.
She responded by saying: ”This is like a letter from a buddy. What is our relationship?”
Liam realized he was in love with her there and there.
”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.’”
The two got hitched soon after, in the summer of 1994, on a farm in upstate New York.
The 63-year-old Taken actor recently made an appearance on the SiriusXM channel’s My Favorite Song with John Benjamin Hickey, when he recalled a particularly touching moment from his 1994 wedding to Richardson.
Neeson revealed that their wedding song was Van Morrison’s “Crazy Love.”
Together, they gave birth to two sons: Michael was born in 1995, and Daniel was born in 1996.
Natasha tragically died in 2009 at the age of 45 from injuries sustained while skiing in Quebec.
Natasha crashed on a slope for beginners while receiving private skiing instruction at the Mont Tremblant resort. Richardson was skiing close to Montreal when she slipped and hit her head. She didn’t have a helmet on.
In the beginning, no one, including Richardson, thought it was severe.
Despite the instructor’s objections, the actress opted to continue with her skiing lesson because she felt fine. After some time, the teacher requested an ambulance and medical aid from the ski patrol. However, Natalie declined.
To make sure she was okay, Natalie and the ski instructor went back to her opulent Hotel Quintessence room.
It was then discovered that the paramedics who entered the room were denied entry. They once more advised that she visit a doctor.
Mrs. Richardson started feeling unwell an hour or so after the occurrence. Mrs. Richardson was taken by ambulance to the Ste-Agathe Center Hospitalier Laurentien and then moved to the Hospital 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.’”
Finally, Neeson realized that he had to turn off her life support. According to him, the two “made a pact” that if either of them entered a “vegetative state,” the other would “pull the plug.” He stated this on 60 Minutes.
The date of Natasha’s death was March 18, 2009. Finding that her wife was an organ donor was consoling for Neeson, though. He claimed that her liver, kidneys, and heart were donated to those in need.
After her terrible demise, Liam remained silent for five years before speaking up in a 2014 60 Minutes program.
He continued by admitting to Anderson Cooper that he hadn’t realized how terrible Natasha’s accident was.
Liam recalled arriving at the hospital. ”She was on life support”, he said.
At the hospital, Liam was shown Natasha’s X-rays.
He was informed by the doctors that his wife was still alive but was thought to be in a vegetative condition. The doctors said she would never be able to recover.
”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 it was understandable that Liam was still processing his loss five years after she passed away.
In an interview with Loaded magazine, he said: ”Her death was never real. It still kind of isn’t.”
Liam cites Natasha’s maternal love as one of his favorites about her while reflecting on their marriage. Her maternal love was both generous and contagious.
“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.”
Liam kept his vow to donate his organs after Natasha passed away because the couple had agreed to do so.
Even though she left behind three family members whose lives would never be the same again, Natasha gave life to three people with her passing.
Liam now reflects on their love each year as their wedding anniversary approaches.
Liam remembered his late wife in a social media post he shared with his followers in 2016. He urged everyone to treasure their mates and enjoy each and every day spent with them.
”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.
What excellent life lessons he has stored up for the rest of us to remember and use as a roadmap for our own journeys!