Tears and hugs as Broadway dims the lights for Natasha Richardson

THE family of Natasha Richardson made an emotional public appearance to thank friends and well-wishers for their support, as Broadway dimmed its lights in honour of the actress.

Richardson, 45, died following a freak skiing accident in Canada on Monday.

Amid emotional scenes, her husband Liam Neeson, mother Vanessa Redgrave and sister Joely Richardson gathered in the heart of New York's theatre district and were embraced by friends including Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick and Ralph Fiennes.

Fiennes, Richardson's co-star in The White Countess and Maid In Manhattan, said: "I cannot imagine a world without her wit, her love, her mischief, her great, great talent and her gift for living. I loved her very much."

Theatre marquees dimmed their lights at 8pm and Redgrave stopped to admire a "shrine" in honour of the actress who lived in Manhattan and who won a Tony Award for her performance in Cabaret in 1998.

Looking gaunt, Neeson hugged friends and calmly shook his head, expressing the helplessness he and his family felt as his wife's condition deteriorated. Their sons Daniel, 12, and Micheál, 13, are understood to have remained at the family home in upstate New York.

A post mortem has revealed that Richardson died from bleeding in her skull caused by the fall on a ski slope in Mont Tremblant. It is understood the funeral will be private.