A Hollywood legend for her role as Princess Leia, Fisher was also an accomplished author
By Staff report ••
Actress and writer Carrie Fisher, best known for her role as Princess Leia in “Star Wars,” died Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. She was 60.
Actress and writer Carrie Fisher, best known for her iconic role as Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" movies, has died at the age of 60, her daughter announced 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," Lourd's representative said in a statement. "She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly."
She suffered a medical emergency on a flight last week and was in a Los Angeles hospital. Well-wishers have been sending tributes and support since her episode on Friday.
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American actress Carrie Fisher is seen on the set of "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" written, directed and produced by George Lucas.
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American actress Debbie Reynolds smiles while sitting in the front seat of an automobile with her children Todd and Carrie Fisher in Hollywood, California.
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A 1970 photo of Carrie Fisher shows the actress seven years before her debut as the iconic Princess Leia in George Lucas' "Star Wars" space epic.
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American actress Carrie Fisher on the set of "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" directed by Welsh Richard Marquand.
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British actor Anthony Daniels, American actress Carrie Fisher and Scottish actor Michael Carter are seen on the set of "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi". The infamous gold bikini worn by Fisher for this scene is the source of many pop culture references decades after.
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American actors Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford are seen on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.
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American actors Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher in costume as brother and sister Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in George Lucas' "Star Wars" space epic. "Star Wars" debuted May 25, 1977, turning Hamill, Fisher and actor Harrison Ford into household names.
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American actress Carrie Fisher is seen on the set of "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" written, directed and produced by George Lucas.
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Bill Murray appears as Jim, left, with Carrie Fisher as Brandy during the "Marseilles, 1978" skit on Nov. 18, 1978 .
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American actress Carrie Fisher reprises her role of Princess Leia in space epic "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" directed by Irvin Kershner.
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Carrie Fisher attends the Giorgio Armani Fashion Show on Sept.16, 1980 at the RCA Promenade in New York City.
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Carrie Fisher plays Cathy with Penny Marshall as the titular Laverne on an episode of "Laverne & Shirley", Nov. 9, 1982.
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Carrie Fisher and Paul Simon pose together in a 1983 portrait in New York City.
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American actress Carrie Fisher poses with British actor Peter Mayhew, in costume as Chewbacca, on the set of 'Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi', a documentary about the second film in the Star Wars saga that focuses on variety of unusual beings that populate the film's world. The program was originally broadcast on Nov. 21, 1983.
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American actress Carrie Fisher, daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds, was most notable for her role as Princess Leia in the space epic "Star Wars".
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Carrie Fisher attends a book party for 'Surrender The Pink by Carrie Fisher' circa 1990 in New York City.
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Carrie Fisher posts with her book "Delusions Grandma" during an appearance at Book Soup in Los Angeles, California, United States on April 15, 1994.
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Actress Carrie Fisher during an interview with host Jay Leno on Feb. 10, 1997.
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Carrie Fisher is seen at the American Comedy Awards on Feb. 9,1997 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.
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George Lucas' enduring space opera 'Star Wars' made Mark Hamill, left, Carrie Fisher, center and Harrison Ford, right, American household names.
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Carrie Fisher during "Tarzan" Hollywood Premiere on June 12, 1999 at Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California.
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Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher are seen on Fifth Ave outside The Plaza hotel while shooting "Star Wars".
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Actress Carrie Fisher and director George Lucas pose together at the 33rd AFI Life Achievement Award after party at the Highlands on June 9, 2005 in Hollywood, California.
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Honoree Carrie Fisher attends the US-Ireland Aliiance's Oscar Wilde Awards event at J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot on Feb.19, 2015 in Santa Monica, California.
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Carrie Fisher plays Rosemary on a 30 Rock episode "Rosemary's Baby". The episode aired Oct. 25, 2007.
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Debbie Reynolds, left, and daughter Carrie Fisher arrive at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Saturday Sept. 10, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.
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Actors Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and more than 6,000 fans enjoyed a surprise "Star Wars" Fan Concert performed by the San Diego Symphony, featuring the classic "Star Wars" ensembles from composer John Williams, at the Embarcadero Marina Park South on July 10, 2015 in San Diego, California.
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Debbie Reynolds, winner of the Screen Actors Guild lifetime award, pose center with her daughter Carrie Fisher, left and granddaughter Billie Lourd, right, in the press room at the 21st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015, in Los Angeles.
Fisher starred in the wildly successful "Star Wars Epsiode IV: A New Hope," "The Empire Strikes Back," and "Return of the Jedi" alongside Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill. The trio returned to the big screen for last year's "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens," and she had a CGI-enhanced cameo in this month's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."
Fisher's mother, actress Debbie Reynolds, thanked "everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter" in a Facebook post Tuesday, after Fisher's death was announced. "I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop."
Fisher's death prompted an outpouring of grief on social media, from co-stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams to other celebrities and legions of devoted fans.
Fisher spent most of her life in the spotlight. The daughter of Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher, she made her acting debut at just 15 in the Broadway revival of the play "Irene."
Fisher was also an accomplished author, publishing her first novel, "Postcards from the Edge," in 1987. It was made made into a film starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine. She later published the autobiographical "Wishful Drinking" and the non-fiction follow-up "Shockaholic," among others.
Her memoir "The Princess Diarist," was published this year, and was based on diaries she kept while filming the original "Star Wars" trilogy in the late 70s and early 80s.
Her other film roles include "Shampoo," "The Blues Brothers" and "When Harry Met Sally...."
Fisher was married to musician Paul Simon from 1983 until the following year, although the pair had been dating since 1977 and dated again for a time after their divorce. During a break in the relationship in 1980, she was briefly engaged to Dan Aykroyd.
Simon's song "Hearts and Bones" is reportedly about their relationship.
She and talent agent Bryan Lourd later dated and had one child, "Scream Queens" actress Billie Lourd.
Fisher publicly disclosed her bipolar disorder diagnosis and her battles with addiction, and often incorporated her struggles and experiences into her literary and stage work.
