Bryan Lourd, Partner in the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), is the father of Billie Lourd, who is also the daughter of the beloved Carrie Fisher who died December 27, 2016 (rest in peace). In an unusual move for such a prominent figure, he issued an official statement on his and Lourd’s behalf in response to the publication of a new book about Fisher. Sheila Weller has authored the book ‘Carrie Fisher: A Life On the Edge,’ which is set to be published soon. They learned of the book by way of a Los Angeles Magazine excerpt.
Here is Lourd’s denouncement of the soon-to-be published work:
“A person named Sheila Weller has taken it upon herself to sell and write an unauthorized biography based on my daughter’s mother, Carrie Fisher. I do not know Ms. Weller. Billie does not know Ms. Weller. And, to my knowledge, Carrie did not know her. Ms. Weller sold this book on her own without our involvement. For all the fans and friends of Carrie, I just thought it necessary that you know this information before you decided to purchase this book or consider what is being said in the upcoming press interviews Weller will do while trying to sell it. To be clear I haven’t read the book. The only books about Carrie Fisher worth reading are the ones Carrie wrote herself. She perfectly told us everything we needed to know.”
Fisher had been quite open about her struggles with mental illness and substance abuse, having written a number of books such as ‘Postcards From the Edge,’ ‘Wishful Drinking’ (which she later turned into a live performance), and ‘The Princess Diarist.’
Weller responded to Lourd’s comments in a statement to the Los Angeles Times, in which she insisted that she had tried to involve the family. She said she contacted them several times to seek their approval without success:
“I was turned down — but in a gracious email — the first time, and invited to re-inquire later. My two follow-ups met with no response… “It is my great admiration for Carrie Fisher’s life and work that compelled me to write the book in the first place.”
Sources: Deadline, Los Angeles Times
