Falling in love or having a soulmate is a happy feeling that cannot be explained. The euphoria lovers experience runs so deep that the unexpected death of a partner brings so much sorrow that many people don’t heal from it till they pass, no matter how long.
Such is the case of Hollywood actor Liam Neeson. He felt anguish and bitterness after losing his wife, Natasha Richardson, in 2009 to a tragic accident. Recently, Bright Side detailed how the Taken star’s relationship with his late spouse exemplifies and teaches love, strength, commitment, and a strong inseparable bond.
How the love journey began
The A-Team star met Natasha Richardson, whose credits include A Month in the Country, when the duo starred in Anna Christie in 1983. Liam is good-looking and was fond of being with many women, while Natasha was in a two years marriage with producer Robert Fox.
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The lovebirds bonded quickly, and this marked the beginning of their unending relationship despite her death. In an interview at the time, Liam revealed the feelings that he has towards Natasha were different, “I’d never had that kind of explosive chemistry situation with an actress.”
After her divorce, she started dating Liam despite acknowledging how ladies flocked around him: “I’m pleased that women fall in love with himm because I know why.”
Liam and Richardson got married
At the start of their courtship, Liam didn’t show Richardson the extent of his feelings until she confronted him on her birthday. The Commuter star sent her a congratulatory card that read, “You’re catching up with me. Lots of love, Oskar.”
Instead of feeling joy, she was displeased by the note’s lack of strong desire. She believed it was too casual and that the content was suitable for someone in the friend zone. This prompted her to question him about the relationship and what they were working to achieve together.
After their conversation, Liam reflected and evaluated his feelings, recognizing that he had fallen head over heels in love with the Asylum star. “This is real and genuine and is something that has to be protected,” he said, which led to the lovers’ decision to get married in 1994. They were really inseparable and would do everything to be with each other, whichwas evident when Liam landed a role in the 1994 movie Nell and Natasha tried everything possible to feature in the film as well. The couple gave birth to their first son, Michael Richard Antonio Neeson, in 1995 and had their second child, Daniel Jack Neeson, in 1996.
The dark moment
The couple enjoyed 16 years of marital bliss and commitment before tragedy befell the family when Natasha, who wasn’t wearing a helmet, experienced a fall in March 2009 while skiing in Quebec, Canada. Immediately after the accident she seemed fine, feeling only a mild headache that she assumed she could handle herself. This resulted in her turning down medical help, although what she thought was a minor concussion was actually a lesion that later led to epidural hematoma and, eventually, was the cause of death.
On hearing the news, Liam, who was working in Toronto at the time, rushed to the hospital where she was admitted, and he got the shock of his life when the doctors told him she was brain-dead and that it was impossible to save her as she was on a ventilator. “I went to her, and I told her I loved her,” Liam claimed. “Sweetie, you’re not coming back from this. You’ve banged your head.” The Bounty star gave his permission for his wife to be taken off life support and Richardson died two days after the incident at the age of 45.
Liam’s life without his beloved Natasha
Liam mourned Natasha following her death, but he decided to do so out of the public view, not granting any interviews to talk about her demise or openly make a remark until seven years after her passing. In a tribute to his wife in 2016, the actor poured his emotions into writingL “They say the hardest thing in the world is losing someone you love. My wife died unexpectedly. She brought me so much joy. She was my everything.”
Liam still treasures what the duo shared together in their years of marriage. “Those 16 years of being her husband taught me how to love unconditionally. We have to stop and be thankful for our spouses,” he revealed. “Because, one day, when you look up from your phone, they won’t be there anymore.”
While the Rob Roy star is trying to live through the sudden death of his beloved wife, he claims the pain lingers. “There are periods now when I hear the door opening,” Liam opens up, “and I still think I’m going to hear her.”