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.
Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher died yesterday following a heart attack on Saturday.
In a statement, her daughter Billie Lourd confirmed her death on Tuesday morning local time. Fisher had been in intensive care in a Los Angeles hospital after collapsing on an international flight.
The daughter of Hollywood power couple Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Carrie Fisher rose to fame in the 1970s when she was cast as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy. She reprised the role in last year's The Force Awakens, and is to appear in the eighth movie next year.
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in the Star Wars films. Photo/Supplied
Tributes poured in from all over the world following the announcement of her death.
Kirsty Glasgow, who runs the Star Wars New Zealand Facebook page with her husband, says that the local Star Wars community has been devastated by the news.
"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."
Glasgow has met Fisher at multiple fan conventions in the United States, and has gotten photos with her dressed as Leia.
"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."
Debbie Reynolds thanked fans in a Facebook post for all their support for Fisher over the years.
"I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop," Reynolds wrote, signing the post with "Love Carrie's Mother" (sic).
Her sentiments were joined by messages from her Star Wars co-stars and directors.
Harrison Ford, who played Leia's love interest Han Solo, said "Carrie was one-of-a-kind ... brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life, bravely ... We will all miss her." Mark Hamill, who played her twin Luke Skywalker, simply tweeted: "No words #devastated."
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
George Lucas, who by casting Fisher in Star Wars made her a star, said in a statement to E! News: "Carrie and I have been friends most of our adult lives. She was extremely smart; a talented actress, writer and comedienne with a very colourful personality that everyone loved."
Although Fisher is best known as Princess Leia, she is also an acclaimed writer. Her biggest novel was the semi-autobiographical Postcards from the Edge, based on her experiences with Reynolds. Fisher later was nominated for a BAFTA Award for adapting the book into a movie starring Meryl Streep.
She also worked as script doctor on movies such as Hook, The Wedding Singer and Sister Act. Fisher co-starred in When Harry Met Sally and has made appearances on dozens of television shows.
Carrie Fisher signs copies of her book, The Best Awful, in 2004. Photo/AP
She was on a flight Saturday returning from the book tour for her latest autobiography, The Princess Diarist, and shooting the third season of comedy Catastrophe when she allegedly suffered a heart attack in mid-air. Reports at the time said she had stopped breathing for 10 minutes.
Although her death has shocked many, Fisher was already contemplating how she wished to be remembered back in 2008. Writing in her autobiography, Wishful Drinking, Fisher recalled how she was not allowed to wear a bra on Star Wars as Lucas said the weightlessness of space would make it suffocate her, which she thought would make for a "fantastic obituary".
