It's been 10 years since Natasha Richardson left behind her husband and two young children but she's being honored by her eldest son in the best way possible.
It's been ten years since actor Liam Neeson lost the love of his life, actress Natasha Richardson in a seemingly innocent skiing accident. But he wasn't the only one who lost her - his son Micheál had to cope with the loss of his mother at the tender age of 14.
Though he had the chance to grieve in relative privacy considering he's the son of such a huge star, he's now in the headlines for news that will have your heart go out to him. Micheál has decided to follow in his father's footsteps as an actor, but not with his name. Instead, he chose to take his late mother's name in honor of and for her. According to CBS News, the young actor starred in the crowd-funded online film series called "On Our Way", in 2018 and in that, he is credited as Micheál Richardson.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, actress Vanessa Redgrave, the late actress's mother said, "He's taken, officially, the name of his mother. He's Micheal Richardson, not Micheal Neeson." The Oscar-winning octagenarian explained that it was not because he wanted to avoid his father's name but because "he wanted to hold his mother close to him — because she was a remarkable actress. Absolutely remarkable."
Natasha Richardson passed away on 18 March 2009 after suffering an epidural hematoma after hitting her head in a skiing accident in Quebec, Canada. Since then, life wasn't the same for either Liam or his two sons. In fact, Micheál opened up about the struggle he had dealing with his grief after her death. "In my mind, subconsciously, I either pushed it out or stored it deep inside," he told The Sunday Times newspaper, adding, "And so, within the next week I was like ‘Okay, on with my life.'"
But then he started partying. “Last spring, things just started going downhill. The people I was with, we were partying a lot,” he said, according to People. “It was dark. I hit rock bottom. Everybody said, ‘This kid has lost his mum, that’s where the problem comes from.’ And I was like, ‘No, it isn’t, I just like to party.’ But looking back I realize it was a delayed reaction," he added.
His father, Liam Neeson had much to say as well about coping with the heartbreaking loss of his wife, with whom he had an instant connection."I'd never had that kind of an explosive chemistry situation with an actor, or actress," Liam said to Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes. And when he sent her a "platonic" letter and she called him out on it, he knew he had found the woman of his life.
“That was when I knew I really loved this person,” Liam told the NY Daily News. “I thought, ‘This is real and genuine and is something that has to be protected.'” Getting married in 1994, the happy couple expanded their family and were content with their life... until fate pulled them apart in 2009. Speaking to Loaded Magazine, he said, "Her death was never real. It still kind of isn't. There're periods now when I hear the door opening, especially the first couple of years... anytime I hear that door opening, I still think I'm going to hear her," quoted Cosmopolitan.
But both father and son are doing their best to move on. And they're both doing well for themselves. Though Liam isn't the happiest with Micheál taking on acting as a profession, the latter knows his mother would have liked it. “She never vocalized it, but I know that my mum liked the idea of me becoming an actor. She would have thought that was cool," he told People.
References:
https://people.com/celebrity/liam-neeson-natasha-richardsons-son-michael-on-moms-death/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/liam-neeson-on-natasha-richardson-death-and-hollywood-success/
