Vanessa Redgrave makes rare comment about tragic death of daughter Natasha Richardson

Vanessa Redgrave has said the death of her daughter "will never be reconciled" in a rare comment on what would have been actress Natasha Richardson's 62nd birthday.

The 88-year-old acting icon dictated the message to her younger daughter, fellow actress Joely Richardson, who shared her thoughts in a post on social media.

Mum-of-three Redgrave reminisced about how she and her then-husband, English theatre director Tony Richardson, had chosen the name of their first child.

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"We were in Greece. We sat drinking our coffees in Constitution Square," she recalled.

"Tony said if the baby was a boy we should call him Tom. I said if she was a girl I would like her to be called Natasha after Tolstoy's War and Peace.

"Our Natasha, as yes she was a girl, came swimming out of my womb ready for anything."

Redgrave kept with the water analogy as she continued reflecting on the tragic loss of Natasha following a skiing accident in 2009, at the age of 45.

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"I can't believe that she isn't swimming somewhere now, in one of the pools or seas we explored," she said.

"I will never be reconciled to her dying in the snow, and I'm sure that every mother who has lost a child will have that pain always."

Joely shared the message on Sunday alongside a series of photos, showing the trio on holidays and laughing together.

Natasha was married to Hollywood star Liam Neeson for almost 15 years and they have two sons together.

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Last year marked 15 years since Natasha's death, with Joely telling 9honey Celebrity there are still moment that make her "want to weep" but she keeps her sister's memory alive as much as she can.

"Time has passed and the first few years, say, up until 10 [years], we'd all get together all the close people and commemorate that day," she said.

"But now, we just do a nod to it."

The 60-year-old actress helps keep her sister front of fans' minds too, regularly sharing flashback photos on social media.

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