English Rose to be Named for Actress Natasha Richardson

An English rose will be named in memory of actress Natasha Richardson, according to multiple press reports. The Tony Award-winning star of Cabaret, Closer and A Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway died on March 18, 2009, at age 45 following a skiing accident in Canada.

“We all want something to remember Natasha, and there’s no one who better resembles a perfect English rose than her,” an anonymous friend of the actress was quoted as saying in London’s Daily Express. “The whole family loves the idea of having a rose named after her.”

Meanwhile, administrators of London’s Evening Standard Theatre Awards announced on November 2 that the Best Actress prize will be renamed “the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress” in honor of the London-born star. At the time of her death, Richardson lived in New York with her husband, actor Liam Neeson, and their two teenage sons.