Andy Cohen remembered when “heaven got a new angel” in a tribute to late friend Natasha Richardson on the 15th anniversary of her death.
“Natasha was ‘Perfectly Marvelous’ … and left a profound impact on her friends, and on millions who she touched as an artist,” Cohen, 55, captioned an Instagram post on Monday, March 18. “I’m trying to put into words the effect she had on my personal trajectory and one way I’m thinking is that she unlocked a window into the world that I’d never considered.”
Cohen went on to say that the late Richardson taught him about “the good life” by way of “art, travel, food, wine, fashion.”
“Beyond that she was dogmatic about the importance of community, shared experience, kindness, manners, laughter and love — all the truly important things in life,” he continued. “I think there was a part of me during those magical years where she was the ringleader for the best things in life that knew that this lightning in a bottle couldn’t last forever. I sure appreciated that time then, and it lives inside me forever.”
Richardson died in March 2009 at age 45 after suffering a head injury during a skiing accident. The Parent Trap actress fell while skiing in Québec, Canada, without a helmet. After hitting her head, Richardson was brought back to her room after reportedly forgoing medical attention. It was later revealed that she had suffered a traumatic brain injury during the fall.
Further remembering the late star, Cohen noted that Richardson “would be disgusted with the rise of social media, and of the current state of the world and politics,” but he thinks the actress “would’ve remained the center of gravity for her family and friends who all lovingly floated in her orbit.”
The Bravo boss concluded: “We were a merry bunch bound completely together by Her. If you can, raise a glass today to the great Natasha Richardson and let her know we all miss her down here.”
Richardson is survived by her husband, Liam Neeson, and their two sons, Micheál, 28, and Daniel, 27.
“I spoke to her and she said, ‘Oh, darling, I’ve taken a tumble in the snow.’ That’s how she described it,” Neeson, 71, shared during a 2014 appearance on 60 Minutes, recalling his wife’s death. When Neeson flew to the hospital in Montreal, he was told that Richardson was brain-dead and on life support.
“I went in to her and told her I loved her,” he continued. “[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. And we’re bringing ya back to New York. All your family and friends will come.’ And that was more or less it.”
