“The recovery trail is beautiful, patient, and rewarding,” the 29-year-old shared after getting surgery for a congenital heart defect.

Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson’s son Daniel opens up about heart surgery

"The recovery trail is beautiful, patient, and rewarding," the 29-year-old shared after getting surgery for a congenital heart defect.

By Sharareh Drury

March 4, 2026 3:27 p.m. ET

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Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson; Daniel Neeson. Credit:

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage; Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty

Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson's son Daniel Neeson is staying positive after revealing he had heart surgery.

The 29-year-old took to Instagram on Tuesday to discuss undergoing surgery for a congenital heart defect.

In the caption for the post, which included a slideshow featuring photos of Neeson's time in the hospital, he explained he was born with a Bicuspid Aortic Valve (BAV), "a condition where the aortic valve has two leaflets instead of the normal three."

"About 2% of the human population has it, and most people don’t even know. It can stay dormant for years before it begins causing valve failure or enlargement of the aorta," Neeson wrote.

The son of the *Taken* star and the late* Parent Trap* actress explained he has had biannual cardiology checkups throughout his life to monitor his heart condition. "Eventually, I started to experience severe left ventricle dilation and aortic enlargement. I knew it was heading toward medical intervention. Some people with BAV are operated on later in life, but I drew the early-bird straw," Neeson said.

Daniel Neeson shared photos from his heart surgery on Instagram.

Daniel Neeson/Instagram

Neeson expressed that there is empowerment in being aware of one's health and stressed the importance of "being proactive, not reactive."

"There’s something surreal about realizing that one of your biggest challenges was quietly developing inside you your entire life. No dramatic warning. Just science, genetics, and timing," he continued. "I’ve always prided myself on pushing through battles and working to control my environment. This was different. This required surrender. Presence. Letting go. Trusting world-class surgeons and unbelievable nurses. Trusting the universe. Trusting that even if I couldn’t control the outcome, I could control my mindset and my deeper consciousness."

The co-founder of De-Nada Tequila shared how, instead of being "fearless," he felt the important strategy for dealing with his health situation was "leaning into the healing energy and being as present as possible."

Neeson thanked his medical team for "taking unbelievable care of me," as well as his family and wife Natalie Ackerman, whom he married in September 2025.**

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"The recovery trail is beautiful, patient, and rewarding," Neeson shared at the end of his post. "Always advocate for yourself and listen to your body. Everyone should have their hearts checked by a cardiologist, even if they don’t have any known defects."

"Most importantly, surrender to the present moment. Don’t live in fear. The universe has your back when you learn to dance with it," he added.

In the comments section, Neeson's wife offered some humor for her husband, writing, "As if we didn’t know you had a big heart already!!!"

Other stars praised Neeson, including Andy Cohen, who wrote, "Your heart is just tooooo big for a normal human being to handle!! 🙌❤️". Comedian Punkie Johnson commented, "My guy… Such a rockstar💪🏽 Let’s go🫡".

Liam and Natasha shared two children, Micheál Neeson, born in 1995, and Daniel, born in 1996. Natasha died in 2009 at age 45 after a skiing accident when Micheál and Daniel were 13 and 12, respectively.**

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Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Celebrity”