Even in death Natasha Richardson is giving the gift of life. After Richardson was taken off life support at Manhattan’s Lenox Hill Hospital last week, her family, which includes grieving husband Liam Neeson, the couple’s two sons, Micheal, 13, and Daniel, 12, her mother Vanessa Redgrave, and sister Joely Richardson, made the decision to donate the late actress’ organs.

The Parent Trap star requested that her organs be donated to other patients whose lives they might save.

Organ donation “is very Natasha,” a family friend says in the latest issue of PEOPLE, which hits newsstands this Friday. “She spent so much time fighting the stigma of AIDS; someone like that would naturally donate her organs. At least by donating her organs something good could come out of [the tragedy].”

Natasha Richardson died of a fatal epidural hematoma last Wednesday after falling during a ski lesson at a Canadian resort on March 16. She was 45.

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