Carrie Fisher, best known for her role as Princess Leia Organa in the original ‘Star Wars’ trilogy, passed away on Tuesday, December 27, 2016, at the age of 60.

Speaking on behalf of Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd, family’s spokesman Simon Halls in a statement to People announced she died Tuesday:

“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. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”

As we reported earlier, Fisher suffered a massive heart attack while on a flight from London to Los Angeles as part of her recent book tour.

The daughter of stars Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher followed her parents into show business. After making her film debut with ‘Shampoo’ in 1975, Fisher was rocketed to stardom with the success of ‘Star Wars’, a role to which she returned for both ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and ‘Return of the Jedi’, and would later revisit in 2015’s ‘The Force Awakens’.

Outside of ‘Star Wars’, Fisher made a name for herself as a writer. Her body of work included both novels such as ‘Postcards From the Edge’, and a number of memoirs. Her latest effort, ‘The Princess Diarist’, was based on journals kept during the making of the ‘Star Wars’ films. By the 1990s, she was also working as a script doctor, providing screenplay polishes for films as diverse as ‘Hook’, ‘Last Action Hero’, and ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’. She also ventured into voice acting with a recurring role on the animated comedy ‘Family Guy’.

Most recently, Fisher had completed work on next year’s ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’, once again returning to the role that made her famous.

The staff of ScienceFiction.com would like to extend our deepest condolences to Fisher’s friends, family, and fans.

 

Photo credit: Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

R.I.P. Carrie Fisher: October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016