“Earlier today, Carrie Fisher drowned in moonlight, strangled by her own bra. She will be remembered and loved by many generations, and many more to come.”
In what appears to be the token year that has taken beloved icons away, I did not expect it to be so cruel that time decided that Carrie Fisher had to be taken to a galaxy far far away. Everyone’s favourite princess and up until recently, badass general, is now one with the force.
She had a heart attack flying from London to Los Angeles on Friday and had been hospitalized in Los Angeles where she would spend christmas in a stable condition and despite the best efforts of pleas and prayers all over the world, that she will not succumb to this year. She passed away today at 8:55 a.m in LA at the very bold and dynamic age of 60.
In her 2008 memoir, Wishful Drinking, she wanted her death to be reported as she lived with a sense of humor. So let the record show that earlier today, Carrie Fisher drowned in moonlight, strangled by her own bra. She will be remembered and loved my many generations present, and many more to come. She is survived by her mother; her brother, Todd; her daughter, Billie Lourd, from a relationship with the talent agent Bryan Lourd; and her half sisters, Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher, the daughters of Eddie Fisher and Connie Stevens.
Carrie Fisher, actress, author, screenwriter and activist known for her role as Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” movie franchise brought a special sense of character for a woman in Hollywood. While having been in Hollywood from a very young age, Carrie Fished attained international stardom with 1977’s ‘A New Hope.’ and she instantly became a pop culture phenomenon, one that will remain immortalized as long as the series lives. She was a damsel who dealt with her own distress. And the dark side had nothing on her. Even Han Solo took two more movies to finally win her heart and up until recently we see her as General Leia, a mother dealing with her own son fallen to the dark side.
Carrie in her role as Leia, put up with strange hairdos, a slave outfit she never liked but wore anyway and continued to entertain us with three more Star Wars films “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980, “Return of the Jedi” in 1983 and, 32 years later, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and Lucasfilm confirmed that Ms. Fisher had completed her role in an as-yet-untitled eighth episode of the main “Star Wars” saga, which is scheduled to be released in December next year.
no words #Devastated pic.twitter.com/R9Xo7IBKmh
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) December 27, 2016
In addition to playing Leia in the Star Wars trilogy, Fisher also appeared in films like The Blues Brothers, When Harry Met Sally, The ‘Burbs and Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters and has screenwriting credits for Sister Act, Wedding Singer she lived and breathed Hollywood, in its good and bad. Through her career, Carrie was open about her struggles with mental illness ( she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder ) and drug use, admitting that she had abused cocaine throughout the filming of The Empire Strikes Back, as well as prescription drugs. “Drugs made me feel normal,” she said in 2001. She candidly mentioned her deep and intense affair with Han Solo actor, Harrison Ford.
“Perpetual celebrity — the kind where any mention of you will interest a significant percentage of the public until the day you die, even if that day comes decades after your last real contribution to the culture — is exceedingly rare, reserved for the likes of Muhammad Ali.” – Carrie Fisher, “The Princess Diarist. 2016 Memoir”
To me, I often find it difficult to feel an emotional connection when a celebrity or icon dies. This year has not been kind to icons but there’s a special sadness that comes with knowing that we as a generation are now reaching a timeline where more of our icons are passing on and we’re going to have to deal with it as we get older.
https://twitter.com/carrieffisher/status/811659459307061249
Reflecting back on one of Hollywood’s biggest icons, Carrie Fisher was more than just Princess Leia to several generations. She was a woman of many talents and as I tearfully write this piece, I now choose to count myself lucky as one of millions of people in this lifetime to have experienced and been entertained by her.
I grew up watching Fisher in my old school library, but as a fan I saw that she was more than just Leia Organa. Her openness about mental health made me reflect on my own emotional struggles in life. She was relatable on and off screen and constantly poked fun at everything and remained honest throughout it all and most of all, she put herself out there as any normal person who liked emojis and her dog.
In retrospect, she had an amazing career and her life was a roller coaster journey that she rode with immense grace. A figure for women in Hollywood who continue to experience sexism at every level and managed to tackle and change the pace of every serious interview she did by bringing in humor in least expected conversations.
“I’m a female in Hollywood over the age of, let’s say 40, and then, we could also say 50. You don’t have to ask yourself if you want to work at that age.” – Carrie Fisher, Good Morning America.
It’s in seeing Carrie Fisher’s journey then and now, as Princess Leia and herself, that you begin to see that she truly did bring hope to a galaxy and will continue to do so.
May the force be with her. Always.
