Richardson died after suffering injuries in a fall on a ski slope at a Quebec resort about 80 miles northwest of Montreal.
According to a statement from the resort, Station Mont Tremblant, Richardson fell on a beginners' trail Monday during a lesson.
At the time, Richardson was accompanied by a ski instructor, who called the ski patrol, the statement said. "She 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."
Richardson, accompanied by the instructor, returned to her hotel, but about an hour after the fall, was "not feeling good," the statement said. An ambulance was called, and Richardson was taken to a local hospital before she was transferred to Hopital du Sacre-Coeur in Montreal.
By the time the model madness ended, six women were injured and two women and one man were busted for inciting a riot, authorities said.
"The girls were running like it was 9/11 part two," said Jennifer Brown, 27, of Kensington, Brooklyn. "I feared for my life."
The audition for the show on The CW, which for the first time was open only to women under 5-feet-7, was doomed from the start, several said.
Scores of aspiring models slept overnight outside the Park Central Hotel, hoping to be the first to sashay before the hit shows casting agents.
But shortly after the sun rose, women began arriving and lining up indiscriminately.
Tensions quickly boiled over.
Things only got worse when the dolled-up ladies were told if they stepped out of the line, they couldn't come back in.
"I had to pee in a cup and change my clothes in the street," said Mona Knight, 18, of the Bronx, who arrived at 11:30 p.m. Friday night. "There was no organization whatsoever."
Cops arrived and placed barricades along the street. But by that point, there were already several thousand women lined up. A handful of women started fainting after getting pressed up against the wall, witnesses said.
"Everyone was so compressed, I don't think they could breathe," said Alex Saavedra, 23, who escorted his girlfriend to the audition. "Then they started passing out."
A fight broke out between two men who had been taunting each other for several hours, witnesses said.
Cops intervened and pulled the men off the line. One of them threatened to return with a gun, heightening tensions among the already-frazzled women.
Soon after, a black BMW with smoke pouring out of its hood pulled up in the street near the line, sending the sea of underdressed women scrambling to get away.
"The metal barricade fell down," said Kiara McCarthy, 19, of Levittown, L.I. "All of a sudden we heard this roar from behind us and we looked behind us and there's a wave of people falling on top of us."
Gabrielle Rose, 25, said several women started crying out in pain.
"We all fell on top of each other," said Rose, of Scranton, Pa. "People were squished against the wall, screaming, 'I can't breathe! I can't breathe!' "
A total of six women were injured, authorities said.
Two were transported to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell in stable condition, authorities said.
No more women were allowed to audition after the stampede, leaving many diminutive ladies devastated that they missed out on an opportunity to make it big.
"I'm 5-foot-3. There's no way I can make it into a model agency," McCarthy said. "They would turn me away at the door. We had an opportunity and it was taken away from us."
Fifty nights. One million fans. And one Michael Jackson out to prove he's still the King of Pop.
All 50 of Jackson's comeback concerts at London's O2 Arena sold out within minutes of going on sale to the general public this morning, raising the possibility that the "Billie Jean" singer may take the show on the road—and even play the U.S. for the first time in nearly a decade.
"Michael is 'thrilled' by the response and wanted as many fans to share the experience with him as possible. This is the last chance to see the King of Pop in London, performing the songs we all love!" reads a message at michaeljacksonlive.com.
The series of gigs kicks off July 9, runs through September and then, following a three-month break, picks up again in January. The residency wraps up Feb. 24, 2010.
Given the O2 Arena's capacity is just shy of 13,000, Jackson has sold about 1 million tickets for his run—a virtually unprecedented feat and one that must be especially gratifying for Jackson given his myriad financial and legal troubles, most notably his successful battle against child-molestation charges.
Promoter AEG, which has labeled the record sales "music history," knew there was massive demand out there given the huge response to the presale allotment of tickets. A large number even camped out overnight outside the O2 Arena for what he has called "my final curtain call"—although he has not elaborated whether he just means these would be his performances in London or if he plans on retiring from the stage for good.
The London run began with just 10 announced shows. During the past week, Jackson and AEG added another 40 dates to bring the count to 50—or one for each year of the Moonwalker's life. Although there has been speculation the fragile Jackson wouldn't be up for such a demanding slate (indeed, U.K. oddsmakers are taking bets on how many shows he'll actually perform), the promoter says he had to pass a vigorous physical before the contract was signed.
No one, including the man in the bed, was hurt. But several stores in the Bethel Commons strip mall off S.C. 274 and S.C. 49 suffered smoke damage that will likely keep them closed most of the week, said Bethel Fire Chief Don Love.
Authorities are investigating what ignited the bed at Ultratan.
The man who escaped declined to give his name but said he was working on his tan when he heard a popping noise, then saw a flame at the corner of the tanning bed near his foot. He threw open the lid and jumped out, he said.
When firefighters arrived around 4:15 p.m. "smoke was pouring out of all sides of the building," said Bethel Assistant Fire Chief David Long. By 5:30 p.m. the fire was out and smoke cleared.
Now that's a hot bed.
