May the Force be with her, always!
[dropcap size=small]E[/dropcap]arlier today, actress Carrie Fisher died this morning from a heart attack she suffered late last week while on a flight from London to Los Angeles. Fisher was 60 years old.
Family spokesman Simon Hall made the following statement on behalf of Billie Lourd, Fisher’s daughter:
“It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning,” reads the statement.
“She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly,” says Lourd. “Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”
The flight was on Friday, December 23rd when Fisher went into cardiac arrest. Paramedics were able to get her off the flight and rush her to the hospital. On Saturday, Fisher was in a stable condition. Then the news hit of her death this morning.
Fisher started her acting career in the 70’s, but also took a year off from Hollywood in 1973 to enroll in the Central School of Speech and Drama in London to study acting. Two years later, Fisher was back to acting when she starred in Shampoo.
In 1977, Fisher was cast in her most notable role as Princess Leia in Star Wars: A New Hope. Fisher was only 19 when she accepted the role of Princess Leia. After A New Hope‘s huge success, she retained the role of Princess Leia for The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). She returned to playing Princess Leia in Star Wars: The Force Awakens last year.
With her role in the Star Wars franchise, Fisher also starred in The Blues Brothers (1980), The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters in 1986 and When Harry Met Sally (1989).
In 1983, Fisher married Paul Simon, but the couple divorced after only a year of marriage due to a combination of depression, Fisher’s drug-use, and personal insecurities. From there, the couple kept an on-and-off relationship through the next several years.
At the early age of 13, Fisher started smoking marijuana, according to her quote to The Telegraph.
“I never could take alcohol. I always said I was allergic to alcohol, and that’s actually a definition to alcoholism — an allergy of the body and an obsession of the mind,” Fisher told the Herald-Tribune in 2013. “So I didn’t do other kinds of drugs until I was about 20. Then, by the time I was 21 it was LSD. I didn’t love cocaine, but I wanted to feel any way other than the way I did, so I’d do anything.”
Fisher was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1985 and she was a consistent face and speaker for mental health awareness.
In the 90’s, Fisher spent much of her time on her writing career. Fisher published Surrender the Pink (1990) and Delusions of Grandma (1993). Fisher also helped write movie scripts for The Wedding Singer, Hook and Sister Act.
Billie Lourd, Fisher’s only child, was born in 1992. Lourd has her own acting career, starring in Scream Queens, Billionaire Boys Club and Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Lieutenant Connix. Lourd has been cast for the same role in Star Wars Episode VIII.
In 2005, Fisher was awarded the Women of Vision Award by the Women in Film & Video – DC. In 2008, Fisher had her autobiography Wishful Drinking turned into a one-woman show and eventually an HBO documentary.
Fisher gave the following statement last year to PEOPLE in returning to her role of Princess Leia in The Force Awakens:
“I knew that something enormous was likely going to impact my life from this film and that there was absolutely no way of understanding what that was or was likely to be.”
Her role earned her a nomination for the 2016 Saturn Award for best supporting actress as Leia.
Last month, Fisher revealed to PEOPLE of her on-set affair with Harrison Ford (the scoundrel) in The Princess Diaries. Fisher said that the 3-month affair “was so intense” Her memoir, which was comprised of Fisher’s old diaries and notebooks, brought out mixed feelings from the actress.
“I had forgotten that I’d written them, and I’ve never written diaries sort of like that,” she said. “I write when I’m upset … it was about two or three months of upset.”
Fisher added, “It was sad because I was so insecure, and it’s very raw and obviously I didn’t expect anyone — including myself, I suppose later on — to read it.”
Fisher’s life has been cut short, but the 60 years that she lived, she made the most of every single moment. The Star Wars fan base is deeply saddened by Fisher’s death. I love how Leia was played the detention center scene in A New Hope. “You a little short for a Stormtrooper?” Check it out below!
Rest in Peace Carrie Fisher.
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