As actress Natasha Richardson remained in a New York hospital, her family and friends had all but given up hope that she'll recover from the severe head injury sustained in a skiing accident, according to People magazine.

"There is no chance," a family friend told the celebrity news publication on Tuesday night. "It is a fact that her heart is beating but she is brain dead."

Richardson's dire condition – doctors described it as "leakage of blood between the brain and skull," the friend says - has the actress' family coming to grips with potentially having to make an unthinkably difficult decision.

"It's not official yet," says a friend, "but they basically will detach her."

Natasha Richardson, 45, the daughter of famous actress Vanessa Redgrave, suffered a devastating head injury Monday while skiing on a beginner's slope outside Montreal during a trip with at least one of her two sons (ages 12 and 13).

Her husband, Liam Neeson, 56, raced from a Toronto movie set to be with her as she was hospitalized. A private jet brought them both to New York, where her family and friends gathered for a vigil. Reps for the family have declined to comment.

Additionally, Fox News is reporting this morning that Richardson was "being transported back to New York City before she is to be taken off life support."

We wish her family the best in this difficult time.