No matter what your age is, Carrie Fisher has been an integral part of so many childhoods, her role as the beautiful and tough Princess Leia in the original Star Wars film cemented her icon status in the mid-70s and following that, her brilliant, sardonic books and commentary spoke to an entirely new audience.
Following a massive heart attack sustained on a flight from London to Los Angeles on Friday, Carrie had been in critical condition, but “stable” as of yesterday, according to reports. Despite that bit of promising news, it was announced today that she has died at age 60, according to People.
The daughter of showbiz legends Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Carrie was in the limelight since childhood. She appeared in the ‘70s classic Shampoo with Warren Beatty before her mega-break in 1977’s Star Wars, the film that kickstarted one of the most beloved universes/franchises of all time. She went on to star in The Empire Strikes Back (80) and Return of the Jedi (83). Fans were thrilled when she returned to the franchise in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015.
Success proved to be problematic for Carrie, whose struggles with alcoholism and addiction are well documented in her books Postcards from the Edge (later made into a film starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine) and Wishful Drinking, to name a few. Carrie also suffered from bipolar disorder and became an advocate for mental health awareness, according to People.
While Carrie’s acting career never quite continued with the luster of her her early success, she continued to appear in various films and television shows throughout the years, and she was always a welcome face/voice in any vehicle including Soapdish, When Harry Met Sally, Charlies Angels: Full Throttle, and more recently, Family Guy, and Catastrophe.
Carrie is survived by her mother, the legendary Debbie Reynolds, and her daughter, Scream Queens star Billie Lourd (who shared a small role in The Force Awakens beside her mother).
Farewell to this whipsmart, resilient woman who starred as one of the first heroines that little girls could really emulate.
