Remembering Carrie Fisher
NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - "Star Wars" actress Carrie Fisher has died at age 60, People magazine reported. Fisher had suffered a massive heart attack only days ago on a flight from London to Los Angeles.
In a statement to People, Fisher's publicist announced the death on Tuesday: "It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning. She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly,” says Lourd. “Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”
Fisher's mother, the Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds, posted a note on Facebook.
"Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter," she wrote. "I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop.
She was reportedly in stable condition after receiving treatment in an intensive care unit.
Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott said paramedics administered advanced life-saving care to a patient at Los Angeles International Airport Friday and transported the person to a nearby hospital. He did not identify the patient.
Fisher is considered by many to be a member of Hollywood royalty — her parents are Reynolds and the late singer Eddie Fisher.
She will likely be remembered most for her role as Princess Leia Organa in the iconic movie series "Star Wars." She made her feature film debut opposite Warren Beatty in the 1975 hit "Shampoo." She also appeared in "Austin Powers," "The Blues Brothers," "Charlie's Angels," "Hannah and Her Sisters," "Scream 3" and "When Harry Met Sally ..."
Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm, which produces the Star Wars franchise, said in a statement that Fisher "holds such special place in the hearts of everyone" at the company.
"She was Princess Leia to the world but a very special friend to all of us. She had an indomitable spirit, incredible wit, and a loving heart," Kennedy said in the statement. "Carrie also defined the female hero of our age over a generation ago. Her groundbreaking role as Princess Leia served as an inspiration of power and confidence for young girls everywhere. We will miss her dearly."
Fisher also was a prolific novelist, memoirist, and movie script doctor. Her bestseller "Postcards From the Edge" was made into a movie starring starring Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep. She also wrote "Delusions of Grandma," "Surrender the Pink," "The Best Awful," "Shockaholic," and "The Princess Diarist," in which she revealed that she and co-star Harrison Ford had an affair on the set of "Star Wars" when she was 19 and he was a married man in his 30s.
She spoke and wrote openly and frankly about addiction and mental illness, hoping to break through some of the stigma of both. She said she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 24.
She is survived by her famous mother, her brother, and her daughter.
With the Associated Press