STAR WARS ICON CARRIE FISHER DEAD AT 60

Carrie Fisher, the acclaimed actress and writer, died Tuesday morning after suffering cardiac arrest on a flight from London to Los Angeles on 12/23.

She was 60 years old.

The daughter of Hollywood royalty Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Fisher carved out a name for herself as an actress at age nineteen, when she shot to worldwide fame starring as Princess Leia in the first Star Wars film. She reprised that role in the two sequels that followed, plus 2015’s J.J. Abrams reboot Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Known for her sharp wit and brutal honesty, Fisher wrote her first novel Postcards From The Edge in 1987, and was also well known in Hollywood for being a savvy script doctor. She was always very open about her struggles with mental illness— having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder— and substance abuse.

Her HBO special Wishful Drinking, a one-woman play where Fisher recounted various episodes from her incredible life with candor and charm, was nominated for an Emmy as outstanding variety, music and comedy special in 2011.

She also has a new documentary called Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, set to air on HBO in March.

In a statement to People, a spokesman for Fisher's family said, "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.”