Carrie Fisher died today at age 60 in a Los Angeles area hospital after suffering a massive cardiac event a few days prior. Fisher was best known to Star Wars fans as the iconic, feisty Princess Leia Organa. She was also an accomplished author, screen writer, humorist, producer, and speaker.
An actress and author respected for her wit and fight, Fisher will always be remembered by her fans as much for on=screen escapades as well as her ability to overcome off-screen personal struggles. Quick with a quip Fisher once remarked that her obituary should read she “drowned in moonlight, strangled by her own bra.”
Fisher had just finished a film project in London and was flying back to Los Angeles when the initial medical emergency happened. She was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center where she was in the intensive care unit, but in stable condition according to her family’s social media posts.
Family spokesperson Simon Halls confirmed Fisher’s death to the media with the following statement…
“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.”
Born to Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, both iconic Hollywood Stars of their own, Fisher struggled to carve out her own career after her success as a teen actress in Warren Beatty’s Shampoo (1975) and Star Wars (1977).
The role of Princess Leia was Fisher’s second major on-screen role, and first starring role. She reprised the character in the 1980 and 1983 sequels then again in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens and has filmed 2017’s Star Wars: Episode VIII, which is scheduled for release on December 15th.
Other film roles in Fisher’s career include Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), When Harry Met Sally … (1989) and Soapdish (1991).
As an author, she penned the 1987 novel “Postcards from the Edge,” which was a semi-autobiographal novel only slightly removed from real life. It was later made into a movie starting Meryl Streep and Shirly MacLaine. Other books include memoirs “Wishful Drinking” and “The Princess Diarist.”
Fisher was for many years employed as a script doctor for movies in need of a ligher touch and was a regular back stage at the Oscars, where she was on hand to help craft spur of the moment jokes based on current events and happenings in the event itself.
To this writer, Fisher always seemed larger than life. A true Hollywood pedigree able to lift soggy screenplays into something wonderful and with a screen presence that captivated everyone. She died way too young and we can only offer our condolences to her close friends and family and hope that they are able to find some solace in the knowledge that Fisher was much beloved by her fans.
So sad
Pingback: The World Remembers Carrie Fisher | The Disney Blog
That’s the saddest thing I’ve heard in a long time. R.I.P Carrie fisher
Pingback: Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds dead at 84 | The Disney Blog
Comments are closed.