Carrie Fisher, 1977; Carrie Fisher attends ‘Gravity’ premiere and Opening Ceremony during The 70th Venice International Film Festival. Photo:
Getty(2)
In December 2016, ‘Star Wars’ actress Carrie Fisher died at 60 years old after going into cardiac arrest during an 11-hour flight
Years after Carrie Fisher’s tragic death, her force lives on.
The Star Wars actress died on Dec. 27, 2016, at 60 years old, four days after going into cardiac arrest on a flight from London to Los Angeles. A coroner’s report later cited sleep apnea and other undetermined factors as contributing to her death, with a toxicology report confirming the presence of drugs in her system at the time.
Fisher was born into the spotlight as the daughter of renowned entertainers Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher. She made her film debut in 1975’s Shampoo, and rose to fame when she landed the female lead role as Princess Leia in 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, a character she would reprise in sequels for years to come. In addition to the Star Wars franchise, Fisher starred in 1985’s The Man with One Red Shoe, 1986’s Hannah and Her Sisters and 1989’s When Harry Met Sally.
Behind the scenes, Fisher was struggling with depression, drug use and severe mental illness — which also led to her divorce from ex-husband Paul Simon in 1984. Soon after, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, leading her to become an advocate for mental health awareness.
Today, Fisher’s memory lives on, particularly through her mental health advocacy, Star Warslegacy and her daughter, Billie Lourd. In May 2023, Fisher was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, unveiled by Lourd, who wore a dress adorned with an image of her mom as Princess Leia, and Star Warscostar Mark Hamill. During the ceremony, Lourd sprinkled glitter on the landmark, an ode to how her mother “left a mark of her sparkle on everyone she met.”
“My mom isn’t just Princess Leia,” Lourd said. “She is Carrie Fisher. She was an incredible actress who infused her wit and strength into every character she played from her first role at only 16 years old in Shampoo to her last role in Catastrophe.”
To mark eight years since the actress’ death, here’s a look at how Carrie Fisher died and the legacy she left behind.
When did Carrie Fisher die?
Carrie Fisher attends the Live Talks Los Angeles Ruby Wax in conversation with Carrie Fisher event at the Aero Theatre on Nov. 11, 2014, in Santa Monica, Calif.
Amanda Edwards/WireImage
Fisher died on Dec. 27, 2016, at 8:55 a.m.
Family spokesman Simon Halls confirmed the actress’ death in a statement to PEOPLE, issued on behalf of Fisher’s daughter, saying, “It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning.”
“She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly,” the statement continued. “Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”
How did Carrie Fisher die?
Carrie Fisher signs copies of her book ‘The Princess Diarist’ at Barnes & Noble at The Grove on Nov. 28, 2016, in Los Angeles.
Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
Fisher went into cardiac arrest during an 11-hour flight from London to L.A. Paramedics transported her from the airplane to a nearby hospital, where she was treated for a heart attack.
Four days later, she died in the hospital.
What was Carrie Fisher’s cause of death?
Carrie Fisher attends ‘Gravity’ premiere and Opening Ceremony during The 70th Venice International Film Festival at Sala Grande on August 28, 2013 in Venice, Italy.
Stefania D’Alessandro/WireImage
In June 2017, a coroner’s report attributed Fisher’s death to sleep apnea and other undetermined factors. A few days later, a toxicology report revealed that she had cocaine, methadone, ethanol and opiates in her system when she died, though it was unclear if the drug use contributed to her cause of death.
Lourd addressed the report in a statement to PEOPLE at the time and said that her mom had “battled drug addiction and mental illness her entire life” and “ultimately died of it.”
“She was purposefully open in all of her work about the social stigmas surrounding these diseases,” she said. “She talked about the shame that torments people and their families confronted by these diseases.”
Lourd continued, “I know my Mom, she’d want her death to encourage people to be open about their struggles. Seek help, fight for government funding for mental health programs. Shame and those social stigmas are the enemies of progress to solutions and ultimately a cure. Love you Momby.”
How old was Carrie Fisher when she died?
Actress Carrie Fisher attends the 54th New York Film Festival ‘Bright Lights’ screening at Alice Tully Hall on Oct. 10, 2016, in New York City.
CJ Rivera/FilmMagic
Fisher was 60 years old when she died.
When did Carrie Fisher’s mom Debbie Reynolds die?
Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds arrive for Dame Elizabeth Taylor’s 75th birthday party at the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas on Feb. 27, 2007, in Henderson, Nev.
Ethan Miller/Getty
Reynolds, Fisher’s mom, died from a stroke on Dec. 28, 2016 — just one day after her daughter died. She was 84 years old.
Her son Todd told us that she was thinking of Fisher in her final moments, saying, “I miss her so much, I want to be with Carrie.”
One day earlier, the actress had thanked fans for embracing the “gifts and talents” of her “beloved and amazing daughter” in a Facebookpost.
“I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop,” Reynolds wrote, signing the message, “Love Carries Mother.”
In March 2017, Todd spoke to the audience at a public memorial service and revealed that his mother had decided to “change her plans a bit” after Fisher died.
“My mother always said to me, ‘I never want to go to my daughter’s funeral service. I would like to be buried with Carrie,’ ” he said. “I didn’t know she was going to leave us that very next day and when she looked at me to ask permission to leave, she said she wanted to be with Carrie, and she closed her eyes and went to sleep. It was a beautiful exit.”
How did the public react to Carrie Fisher’s death?
Carrie Fisher is remembered with a makeshift star made by a fan on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Dec. 29, 2016 in Hollywood, Calif.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty
In the wake of Fisher’s death, messages of grief, love and support flooded social media from friends and fans alike.
Her Star Wars family put out a joint statement in which many of the creators and cast shared heartfelt tributes, with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy saying, “She was Princess Leia to the world but a very special friend to all of us.”
Hamill, who played Fisher’s on-screen brother, also mourned her loss, writing, “It’s never easy to lose such a vital, irreplaceable member of the family, but this is downright heartbreaking.”
“Carrie was one-of-a-kind who belonged to us all — whether she liked it or not. She was OUR Princess, damn it, and the actress who played her blurred into one gorgeous, fiercely independent and ferociously funny, take-charge woman who took our collective breath away,” he continued. “She played such a crucial role in my professional and personal life, and both would have been far emptier without her.”
“I am grateful for the laughter, the wisdom, the kindness, and even the bratty, self-indulgent crap my beloved space-twin gave me through the years,” Hamill concluded.
Meanwhile, Billy Dee Williams, who played Lando Calrissian in the films, wrote on X that he was “deeply saddened” to hear that Fisher had died.
“She was a dear friend, whom I greatly respected and admired,” he wrote. “The force is dark today!”
Carrie Fisher sits on the lap of Peter Mayhew in costume as Chewbacca on the set of ‘Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi’.
CBS Photo Archive/Hulton Archive
Fisher’s costar Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca, wrote on X, “Carrie was the brightest light in every room she entered. I will miss her dearly.”
Although there was a private burial service for those close to the star in January 2017, friends, family and fans continued to honor Fisher and Reynolds at a March 2017 public memorial in Los Angeles. During the ceremony, an original tribute song written by James Blunt played over a video montage.
How did Carrie Fisher’s death affect the Star Wars movies?
General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) in 2019’s ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’. Lucasfilm Ltd.
Even after she died, Fisher continued to leave her mark on the Star Wars franchise. In 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, otherwise known as Episode IX, director J.J. Abramsgathered unused footage of her that he shot for Episode VII. With Lourd’s approval, he reworked the storyline so that Fisher could continue to be in it through the archived footage.
“We all just loved her,” Abrams said at a Star Wars Celebration convention in April 2019. “You don’t recast that part, and you don’t have her disappear.”
Star Wars actor Oscar Isaac added that by finding a way to honor the “iconic character”that she created “it allows us all, as an audience, to say goodbye.”
What did Billie Lourd say about her mom and grandmother’s deaths?
Billie Lourd, Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds pose during TNT’s 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on Jan. 25, 2015, in Los Angeles.
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
A little over a week after Fisher and Reynolds died, Lourd addressed her mother and grandmother’s deaths publicly for the first time in an Instagram post, writing, “Receiving all of your prayers and kind words over the past week has given me strength during a time I thought strength could not exist.”
“There are no words to express how much I will miss my Abadaba and my one and only Momby,” she said. “Your love and support means the world to me.”
In October 2024 — on what would have been her mother’s 68th birthday — Loud shared a tribute on Instagram, writing that 60 years old was “too damn young to die.”
“Some years my grief makes me feel the warmth of her love, some years it makes me angry, some years I feel numb but today when I woke up I just felt sad,” she wrote.
“I did everything in my power to help my mom get sober but sadly my mom couldn’t ever escape her addiction,” Lourd added. “Sending my love to anyone out there who has lost someone to drug addiction. You are not alone.”
