LOS ANGELES (AP) – Actress Carrie Fisher, who found enduring fame as Princess Leia in the original “Star Wars” movie, has died at age 60.
Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, released a statement through her spokesman saying Fisher died Tuesday just before 9 a.m PST. Lourd said her mother was “loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly.”
Fisher had been hospitalized since Friday when she suffered a medical emergency on board a flight to Los Angeles.
She made her feature film debut opposite Warren Beatty in the 1975 hit “Shampoo” and was also an accomplished author who detailed her experiences with addiction and mental illness in several best-selling books. Besides her daughter, Fisher is survived by her brother, Todd Fisher, and her mother, actress Debbie Reynolds.
Fisher was reported in stable condition days after suffering a medical emergency on an airline flight and being admitted Friday to a Los Angeles hospital.
Tributes and well-wishes poured in for Fisher after news spread that she was hospitalized.
“Princess Leia can survive anything!” wrote one fan on Twitter. “Hold on, Carrie Fisher. We’re taking you into 2017 with us,” wrote another. Her “Star Wars” co-star Mark Hamill said he was “sending all our love.”
Todd Fisher, the actress’ brother, said Friday night that his sister was receiving excellent care, but that he could not classify her condition. He had earlier told The Associated Press that she had been stabilized and was out of the emergency room. In a subsequent interview, he said many details about her condition or what caused the medical emergency are unknown.
Fans on Twitter hoped she would pull through. One wrote: “Carrie Fisher survived alcoholism, addiction, depression, bipolar disorder & 60 years in Hollywood. If anyone can survive 2016, it’s her.” The actress’ former co-star Peter Mayhew, who played “Star Wars” character Chewbacca, called her “everyone’s favorite princess right now.”
And Harrison Ford, who played Han Solo opposite Fisher, in a statement said: “I’m shocked and saddened to hear the news about my dear friend. Our thoughts are with Carrie, her family and friends.”
Fisher, 60, experienced medical trouble during a Friday flight from London and was treated by paramedics immediately after the plane landed in Los Angeles, according to reports citing unnamed sources.
Celebrity website TMZ, which first reported the incident, said anonymous sources told them the actress suffered a heart attack.
Todd Fisher said much of what had been reported about the incident was speculation.
“We have to wait and be patient,” he said. “We have so little information ourselves.”
Fisher’s publicists and representatives for her mother, Debbie Reynolds, and her daughter, Billie Lourd, did not return calls from the AP.
Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott said paramedics administered advanced life-saving care to a patient at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday and transported the person to a nearby hospital. He did not identify the patient.
A large gathering of media personnel was camped outside Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles hospital, where TMZ and the Los Angeles Times reported she had been taken.
Fisher is considered by many to be a member of Hollywood royalty — her parents are Reynolds and the late singer Eddie Fisher.
Catapulted to stardom as Princess Leia in 1977’s “Star Wars,” Carrie Fisher reprised the role as the leader of a galactic rebellion in three sequels, including last year’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
The author and actress may be best known for her portrayal of Leia, but she is also an accomplished writer known for no-holds-barred accounts of her struggles with addiction and mental illness.
Most recently, Fisher has been promoting her latest book, “The Princess Diarist,” in which she reveals that she and co-star Harrison Ford had an affair on the set of “Star Wars.”
Associated Press Entertainment Writer MARK KENNEDY contributed to this report.
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