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Carrie Fisher, the actress catapulted into science fiction superstardom through her role of Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, has died. She was 60.
Family spokesman Simon Halls confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the actress passed away 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,” Halls said in a statement.
“She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly.”
Fisher reportedly suffered from cardiac arrest on a flight to LA from London on Dec. 23.
The actress was revered for her portrayal of Princess Leia Organa in the 1977 blockbuster Star Wars, a clever, diplomatic soldier cut from royal cloth who could fire a gun and charm an android.
With her iconic “cinnamon bun” hairstyle, Fisher's Leia first appeared on screen requiring rescue from Obi-Wan Kenobi — but she was no simple damsel in distress, quickly proving herself a cunning rebel warrior and symbol of female empowerment.
Carrie Fisher, from left, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford at a panel in 2015.
Richard Shotwell / AP
In addition to starring in the next two sequels, Fisher appeared in films from The Blues Brothers in 1980 to When Harry Met Sally in 1989. She remained on screen for years to come, reprising her role as Leia in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015.
Fisher struggled at times with alcohol and drugs, a subject she addressed in a 2006 one-woman play, Wishful Drinking, which she later adapted into a book.
“Happy is one of the many things I'm likely to be over the course of a day and certainly over the course of a lifetime,” Fisher wrote. “But I think if you have the expectation that you're going to be happy throughout your life — more to the point, if you have a need to be comfortable all the time — well, among other things, you have the makings of a classic drug addict or alcoholic.”
Her humanizing, hilarious, and self-critical take on internal battles helped cement Fisher's status as a cultural icon who used the platform to become an advocate for mental health treatment.
In November Fisher released her eighth book entitled The Princess Diarist — a memoir based on excerpts from her diary entries beginning in the 1970's when she was filming the first Star Wars. In the eclectic autobiography Fisher revealed that she had a secret affair with her costar, Harrison Ford, who was married at the time.
Carrie Frances Fisher was born Oct. 21, 1956, in Beverly Hills, California, to a family illuminated by limelight — her father was singer Eddie Fisher and her mother is actress is Debbie Reynolds. Her siblings are also actors: Todd Fisher, Joely Fisher, and Tricia Leigh Fisher.
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