The year 2016 has taken another cultural icon from us, with the news this morning that Star Wars legend, author and comedian Carrie Fisher has sadly passed away aged just 60.
The actress’ daughter, Billie Lourd, has confirmed in a statement that the woman who captivated an entire generation as Princess Leia has now left us.
‘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. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.’
Members of her family, including her beloved pet dog Gary have been by her side since she was rushed to the UCLA hospital in Los Angeles after flying home from London.
She went into cardiac arrest 15 minutes before landing at LAX on Friday.
Carrie shot to fame aged just 19 when Star Wars became an international sensation in 1977.
The daughter of Debbie Reynolds and entertainer Eddie Fisher, she trained as an actress at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London in 1973.
She made her debut in the movie Shampoo in 1975.
She married singer Paul Simon in 1983 but the union was marred by her depression, drug use and various insecurities.
Even though they divorced in 1984 their relationship remained on and off over several years.
She was always open about her problems with drugs. Aged 13 she started smoking marijuana and later used cocaine and LSD.
She said: “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.
“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 in any way other than the way I did, so I’d do anything.”
She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1985 and in later years became an advocate for mental health awareness.
As her acting career waned in the 1990s she focussed on her writing career and worked uncredited on films such as The Wedding Singer, Hook and Sister Act.
Her daughter Billie was born in 1992.
Her father is talent agent Bryan Lourd who dated Carrie for three years.
In 2015 she returned to the Star Wars universe in the mega hit Star Wars: The Force Awakens which reunited her with on screen lover, Harrison “Han Solo” Ford.
Rest in peace, Carrie, you were a very special woman.
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