Richardson's donated organs will be used to save lives after fatal ski slope accident

One of Natasha Richardson's final legacies will be as a poster-girl for organ donation after her family allowed doctors to keep her organs for those whose lives they could save.

The English actress who died after a skiing accident, was buried this week. A friend of her husband, Liam Neeson, told People magazine that she had supported organ donation.

"She spent so much time fighting the stigma of Aids; someone like that would naturally donate her organs... by donating her organs something good could come out of [the tragedy]," said the un-named friend.

An autopsy performed in New York, where Richardson died at the Lenox Hill Hospital, showed a blow to her head had caused fatal bleeding between her brain and skull, known as an epidural haematoma. Experts said the way she had died would have left her organs viable for donation. Neeson's publicist, Alan Neirob, would not comment on the rumoured donation.

Richardson, the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave, became ill on 16 March, hours after falling on a beginner's slope at Mont Tremblant resort.

A friend, Blaine Trump, said Neeson planned to return to work soon on the film Chloe: "Liam is doing OK. It takes a while to absorb this. But he says the family needs to move forward. They will take it one step at a time."