HELEN MIRREN - QUEENS OF HOLLYWOOD MOURN RICHARDSON'S DEATH

QUEENS OF HOLLYWOOD MOURN RICHARDSON'S DEATH

Hollywood legends DAME HELEN MIRREN and MERYL STREEP are the latest acting greats to express their sadness at the death of British star NATASHA RICHARDSON.
The tragic actress died after a fall while skiing on the slopes of Mont Tremblant in Montreal, Canada on Monday (16Mar09) that left her with a serious brain injury.
She was flown to New York by her husband Liam Neeson on Tuesday (17Mar09) where relatives, including her actress mother Vanessa Redgrave and sister Joely Richardson, stayed by her bedside until her life support machine was switched off on Wednesday (18Mar09). She died hours later, aged 45.
A legion of stars of stage and screen have sent messages to her grieving family while Broadway dimmed its bright lights as a mark of respect to the beloved Brit on Thursday (19Mar09) night.
And acting pals Mirren and Streep are both devastated by the loss.
Mirren says, "Natasha was a great actress, a fantastic mother, a loving wife and a whirlwind of energy, with an infectious love of life expressed firstly by her wonderful deep laugh.
"Anyone who knew her will be in mourning today. I hope that Liam and her sons are helped in their pain by the great love and sympathy that is coming to them from people all over the world."
Streep adds, ""Tash (Natasha) was the warm sun in the center of a large constellation of family, friends, all of those lucky enough to know her - she is irreplaceable in our lives; she gave us so much, so generously - her legacy is the love that connects us all."