NEW YORK — Actress Natasha Richardson died from a blunt impact to the head, according to the results of an autopsy announced Thursday.
Richardson died Wednesday at the age of 45 after suffering a traumatic brain injury earlier in the week at the Canadian ski resort of Mont Tremblant.
The cause of death was epidural hematoma (bleeding between the skull and the brain's covering), said a spokeswoman for the New York City medical examiner's office.
Richardson was taking a private ski lesson when she fell Monday on a beginners trail. She was not wearing a helmet at the time.
Her death was ruled an accident.
Richardson initally appeared fine after the accident, but began feeling ill about an hour after her fall and was transported to a local hospital.
Her husband, actor Liam Neeson, was in Toronto filming the movie "Chloe" at the time. He immediately rushed to be by his wife's side.
Richardson was flown Tuesday afternoon from Montreal to Manhattan's Lenox Hill Hospital, where she was pronounced dead Wednesday.
Richardson and Neeson married in 1994 and have two sons, Micheal, 13, and Daniel, 12. Their marriage was often referred to as magical and Richardson once told British newspaper The Independent that she and her husband were a perfect compliment to each other.
"We have a joke that I see the glass half full and he sees it half empty," she said. "He's more laid back, happy to see what happens, whereas I'm a doer and I plan ahead. The differences sometimes get in the way but they can be the very things that feed a marriage too."
Richardson is also survived by her mother, actress Vanessa Redgrave, as well as her sister, Joely Richardson, best known for her role on "Nip/Tuck."
Her father, director Tony Richardson, died in 1991.
Over the course of her distinguished 25-year career, Richardson drew praise for her performances on stage, in addition to her television and film work. She won a Tony Award in 1998 for her performance in the musical "Cabaret," and appeared in such films as "Patty Hearst," "The Parent Trap," "Maid in Manhattan" and "Asylum."
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