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With just a few days left of 2016, a year in which the world lost David Bowie, Prince and just days ago George Michael, yet another pop culture icon has been taken from us, with the news that Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher has passed away.
Fisher, 60, who portrayed Princess Leia in the films, died in a Los Angeles hospital four days after she suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to LA.
“It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8.55 this morning,” a statement read.
“She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”
Following her epic rise to fame at just 19 in the first Star Wars film in 1977, Carrie went on to become a successful author as she shared her personal battles with addiction and mental health, always with raw honestly and a sharp wit.
Social media has been flooded with tributes to Fisher, from her Star Wars co-stars including Harrison Ford who released a statement saying “Carrie was one-of-a-kind… brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life, bravely. My thoughts are with her daughter Billie, her mother Debbie, her brother Todd, and her many friends. We will all miss her.” The most moving might be a tweet from the account she and her team ran in the name of her beloved dog, George.
In her 2008 book Wishful Drinking, Fisher actually wrote her own obituary based on a funny exchange with Star Wars director George Lucas.
“George [Lucas] comes up to me the first day of filming and he takes one look at the dress and says, ‘You can’t wear a bra under that dress … because there is no underwear in space,’” Fisher wrote. “I promise you this is true, and he says it with such conviction too!” she added. “Like he had been to space and looked around and he didn’t see any bras or panties or briefs anywhere.
“Now I think that this would make for a fantastic obit,” Fisher continued. “So I tell my younger friends that no matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra.”
RIP Carrie – drowned in moonlight, strangled by her own bra.
I'll still be waiting for you……. pic.twitter.com/ef461OcqKJ
— Carrie Fisher's Dog (@Gary_TheDog) December 27, 2016
She was the brightest, funniest, bravest, kindest, cleverest and sweetest person I ever knew. A crushing blow to lose @carrieffisher
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) December 27, 2016
.@CarriefFisher was a brilliant writer, actor, and friend. She was so much fun. I can't believe she's gone. https://t.co/wpxGvBWA0b
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) December 27, 2016
