I have confessed in this forum before that on my list of movies I can’t pass by when I’m channel surfing is The Parent Trap. I have watched it over and over. It seems more poignant today with the passing of Natasha Richardson, who was so delightful in that movie — relatable, graceful, radiant.
What a stark, sad example of ‘here today, gone tomorrow.’ My heart goes out to her grieving family.
I’ll admit it – I’m a sucker for The Parent Trap, as well. I can’t stop thinking about how life can be so short. How you just never know. Tragedies like these always give us pause and perspective. The trick, I always say, is keeping that perspective. It’s so fleeting. Perspective is easy to find…and often difficult to keep. Best of thoughts to her family…
I saw Natasha when she played Blanche DuBois on Broadway a few years ago. My mother had her 1st stroke at age 34, her second at age 50, and on the morning of her 65th birthday her body simply stopped living. I know first-hand how devastating brain injuries can be for the victim and how profoundly it affects the family. Life as you knew it, changes in a heart beat. If I learned anyting from that experience it is to cherish life and live it to its fullest, each and every day. My heart goes out to Liam and the boys.
On comment boards, I’ve read some cynical comments as to why we care so much when a celebrity, someone we don’t even know, dies and we grieve collectively. They miss the point, which is that we’re just reacting to the human condition. Artists affect our lives on a very deep level, even in movies like The Parent Trap, and when they go, everything else they could have created goes with them. Her sudden death is so sad in so many ways. My heart goes out to her very close family.