Iconic Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher has died at the age of 60, a spokesperson for her family has confirmed.
“It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning,” the statement from family spokesman Simon Halls read.
The news comes just days after the star suffered a “massive” heart attack while on board a flight from London to Los Angeles, 15 minutes before the plane was due to land.
TMZ reported that a flight attendant asked if there were any medical personnel on board when Carrie went into cardiac arrest, and an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) who was present came up to first class to perform CPR on the actress.
Shortly after the plane landed at LAX, Carrie was rushed to hospital. The star’s brother Todd later told media she was in a stable condition, however, TMZ has reported that she was ‘not responsive’ after the heart attack.
The actress, who rose to fame after portraying Princess Leia in the original Star Wars films, had been in London to appear on The Graham Norton Show.
She had recently been on tour promoting her book The Princess Diarist, an autobiography made up of excerpts from the diary she kept while filming the first Star Wars movie.
The star had been promoting her latest book, The Princess Diarist. Photo: Getty
The actress had recently hit headlines for her revelation in The Princess Diarist that she had an “intense” three-month affair with her co-star Harrison Ford while on set, when he was 33 and she was 19.
Throughout her career, Carrie has also been open about her struggles with drug addiction and her experience with mental illness.
She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and previously revealed she was abusing cocaine throughout filming on The Empire Strikes Back.
In her one-woman play and memoir Wishful Drinking, she shared her battle with addiction, while another memoir, Postcards from the Edge, touched on her rehab experiences as well as her relationship with her famous mother, silver screen star Debbie Reynolds.
Carrie’s role as Princess Leia skyrocketed her to fame.
While the role of the heroic Princess Leia skyrocketed Carrie to fame, the actress had also appeared in When Harry Met Sally, The Blues Brothers and Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters.
She had recently reprised her role as Leia in the smash hit The Force Awakens and was set to appear in the upcoming sequels Episode VIII and Episode IX.
Carrie is survived by her daughter Billie Lourd, a fellow actress who stars in the TV show Scream Queens and also appeared alongside her mother in The Force Awakens, as well as her brother Todd Fisher and sisters Tricia and Joely Fisher.
The star pictured with her mother, Singin In The Rain star Debbie Reynolds, and actress daughter Billie. Photo: Getty
