Actress Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in Star Wars, has died at age 60, daughter's publicist says.
"It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning," Simon Halls, a spokesperson for Fisher's family, said in a statement to People.
Fisher suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles on Friday (US time), according to TMZ.
She was administered CPR until the flight landed. Her heart attack reportedly occurred 15 minutes before the plane was scheduled to arrive.
As fans around the world mourn the loss of Star Wars' heroine Carrie Fisher, two Kiwi fans have been particularly hard hit on this "very tough day".
Kristy and Matt Glasgow run the Star Wars New Zealand fan group and have met the late star a handful of times when visiting fan conventions in the US.
Image 1 of 21: Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds hold their baby daughter, Carrie Frances Fisher, as the pose for a photo in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles. Photo / AP
Their fan group has more than 3500 likes on Facebook and its website hosts Star Wars news, reviews, forums, products and giveaways.
Kristy Glasgow says the news is hitting the community "quite hard", particularly as they've been "hoping and praying" for Fisher's recovery since news of her heart attack broke.
"She's obviously one of the youngest of the original trilogy actors; she was only 60. People were not expecting this to come. Certainly not with the excitement of the new film," she says.
Star Wars fan Matt Glasgow, dressed as a Stormtrooper. Photo / supplied
"You always want your heroes to live a long and full life so that you can enjoy what they do. She was busy she was active - it just came as a complete shock to everyone."
Fisher was particularly special to 33-year-old Kristy who, as well as being a general Star Wars fan, found a particular interest in its female heroes and even runs a website on Star Wars inspired women's fashion.
Kristy Glasgow as Star Wars character Padme Amidala at the Episode 2 filming location of Villa Balbianello, Italy Photo / supplied.
"For me, she was the original female character. She was the princess that picked up a blaster and took charge. She was beautiful, witty, she was strong - everything that women like to look up to," she says.
"It's always amazing when the character that you love on film has an even more awesome real life actor behind it. She's always been really lovely with the fans and that just makes you love everything about her on screen as well, knowing that she's backed up by a strong, doesn't-take-nonsense-from-anybody actress."
When Kristy first met Fisher, she was dressed as Princess Leia, having come straight from a costume competition that had run late, leaving her without time to change. But the outfit ended up doing her a favour.
Carrie Fisher (center) with Kiwi fans Matt and Kristy Glasgow in 2011. Photo / Supplied (Matt Glasgow)
"She realised I was in the costume and instead of being like, 'oh, I'm done with the shoot, I'm off', she stopped and talked to me and asked me questions and complimented me on my costume. She just took the time to stop and chat when she was obviously busy, it was lovely."
She and her husband Matt, 46, regularly frequent fan conventions in the states and make a point of getting a photo and autograph with Fisher each time. They especially went to see Fisher during their honeymoon and even took their daughter Juliet to meet her.
Kristy and Matt Glasgow and daughter Juliet pictured with Star Wars actors Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill (front) in 2015. Photo / Supplied (Matt Glasgow)
"Every time I've met her, she's hugged me, reached out - she's incredibly warm to fans. She always makes you feel like you're important."
The Kiwi fan group is due to have a meet up in the next week or so, at which a celebration of Fisher is likely to take place. Until then, it's a tough day particularly for Kristy, who struggles to hold back tears while discussing her hero.
However, she's happy to push through it, saying: "It's an honour to talk about her".
