Joely Richardson marked what would have been Natasha Richardson’s 62nd birthday with a tribute on Instagram on Monday, 11 May, remembering the actor who died in 2009 after a skiing accident in Quebec.

Richardson shared photos of Natasha Richardson with Liam Neeson and wrote that 11 May would forever be her sister’s birthday, even though she left this earthly plane 17 years ago. Natasha Richardson was 45 when she died from a head injury in March 2009, and Joely Richardson said the images were resurfacing on her phone because of a recent 90s revival.

She also recalled the wedding in 1994, calling it one of the happiest times of her sister’s life. “We danced ’til dawn,” she wrote, describing the warmth and humor of the couple and saying the last image she posted captured Natasha’s mischief. Natasha Richardson and Neeson had two children together, Micheál and Daniel.

The post lands against the backdrop of a family story that has remained in public view for years. Natasha Richardson was an acclaimed British stage and screen actor, and the photos Joely Richardson used were already in public domain, she said, which is why they had been reappearing amid the 1990s nostalgia wave. It also arrives after other milestones in the family’s story: Natasha Richardson’s first husband, Robert Fox, died in March at 73 after they were married from 1990 to 1992, while Neeson’s later relationship with business executive Freya St Johnston ended in 2012 after two years.

For Neeson, the tribute also revived a private chapter he has largely kept closed. In 2024, he said he was not involved with anyone and answered the question of whether he was seeing someone with a blunt: “No, in a word. I’m past all that.”

Joely Richardson’s post did not try to turn the day into a public spectacle. It did something simpler and sharper: it put a birthday back where it belonged, in the family’s memory, and reminded readers that Natasha Richardson’s presence still shapes the story of those left behind.