Actress Natasha Richardson is clinging to life after a freak accident at a ski resort in Montreal. From Us Weekly:

The British-born actress, 45, was not wearing a ski helmet when she tumbled down a hill during a private ski lesson at the bottom of a beginners’ run.

In a statement, Tremblant spokeswoman Lyne Lortie tells Us that Richardson was “accompanied by an experienced ski instructor who immediately called the ski patrol . . . [Natasha] did not show any visible sign of injury, but the ski patrol followed strict procedures and brought her back to the bottom of the slope and insisted she should see a doctor.

“As an additional precautionary measure, the ski instructor, as well as the ski patrol, accompanied Mrs. Richardson to her hotel. They again recommended she should be seen by a doctor. Approximately an hour after the incident Mrs. Richardson was not feeling good,” Lortie says. “An ambulance was called and Mrs. Richardson was brought to the Centre Hospitalier Laurentien in Ste-Agathe and was later transferred to Hôpital du Sacre-Coeur.”

There’s unconfirmed reports that Natasha is brain dead and is not expected to survive. Damn. Our thoughts go out to her family.

UPDATE: Both Fox News and the New York Post are confirming that Richardson is brain dead. She’s being flown back to New York so family and friends can say goodbye before she’s taken off of life support. Thanks a fucking lot Canada. Just when you started getting cool again . . .