Guest Author - Cassandra George Sturges
Forty-five year-old actress, Natasha Richardson, died Wednesday, March 18, 2009, like thousands of other nameless people around the world whom we will never know-- even lived. So many people died today who have worked three jobs and was never able to pay their rent on time; never able to go to college; never able to purchase a car; never able to travel outside of their hometown of birth; or never able to experience a single day without pain from some type of debilitating disease. There are so many faceless people who died today, along with Natasha Richardson, who have never had a chance to see their birth parents, hear a song, see the ocean, fall in love, have a baby or could afford to take private ski lessons. Why is it such a big deal in the media when a rich, famous, successful and beautiful person dies?
According to news reports Richardson fell on a beginner’s slope during a private ski lesson on Monday, March 16, 2009. She reportedly was able to walk away from what appeared to be a minor injury. Allegedly, later on that day she complained of having a headache and was taken to a hospital during which this time she fell into a coma and later died. Natasha was married to actor, Liam Neeson and they had two children Michael and Daniel. Fabulous, timeless, beauty Vanessa Redgrave is Natasha’s mother and her father was director, Tony Richardson who died in 1991.
Kudos to you Natasha Richardson for living your life fully, completely and thoroughly; you forced the angel of death to follow you back to your hotel room after you had gotten up from the fall of your ski lesson. There are so many people who die, long before they stop breathing. Such as the people who choose to remain in unhappy marriages; the people who choose to never look for a better paying job, the people who have always wanted to take a piano, golf or tennis lesson- could afford it - but were too lazy to turn off the television; and the people who make excuse after excuse for never going after their dreams.
I know that some people may feel that you lived a charm life because you came from a wealthy family; but according to news reports you did “not” die from smoking cigarettes or crack, popping illegal mood altering pills, shooting heroine or sniffing cocaine. You died from living—and this is what life is all about. My heart goes out to your family and loved ones who will miss your kisses, your beautiful smile and voice on the other end of the phone.
The reason the media is shocked by the death of any famous, wealthy or successful person is because deep in our hearts we want to believe that money and fame will protect or shield us from death; but at the very least extend our time here on earth. Unfortunately, not money, fame, neither beauty nor talent escapes death—the great equalizer of the human experience. When all is said and done, we will all travel the journey from this life as we know it; as every human being did before us.
In my opinion, this is a beautiful thing because the irony is whether or not you choose to die from dementia where you no longer recognize your loved ones, cancer, diabetes, heart disease or a stroke; you will still meet up with the people who chose to see the clouds in a plane that crashed, learned to ride a motorcycle that was accidently hit by a truck, or died from a neck injury while training for the Olympics.
No matter how you look at it; death is death-- and it is devastating, shocking and painful to the people we briefly leave behind. What is most important is not our death, but how we choose to live.
