The Death of Carrie Fisher, 8 Years Later: Revisiting theStar WarsIcon’s Final Days — and How Daughter Billie Lourd Continues Her Legacy Today

Mar. 15, 2025

Carrie Fisher, 1977; Carrie Fisher attends ‘Gravity’ premiere and Opening Ceremony during The 70th Venice International Film Festival.Photo:Getty(2)

Getty(2)

Years afterCarrie Fisher’s tragic death, her force lives on.

TheStar Warsactressdied on Dec. 27, 2016, at 60 years old, four days aftergoing into cardiac arrest on a flightfrom London to Los Angeles. A coroner’s report later citedsleep apnea and other undetermined factorsas contributing to her death, with atoxicology reportconfirming the presence of drugs in her system at the time.

Fisher was born into the spotlight as the daughter of renowned entertainersDebbie ReynoldsandEddie Fisher. She made her film debut in 1975’sShampoo,and rose to fame when she landed the female lead role as Princess Leia in 1977’sStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, a character she would reprise in sequels for years to come. In addition to theStar Warsfranchise, Fisher starred in 1985’sThe Man with One Red Shoe, 1986’sHannah and Her Sistersand 1989’sWhen Harry Met Sally.

Behind the scenes, Fisher wasstruggling with depression, drug use and severe mental illness — which also led to her divorce fromex-husband Paul Simonin 1984. Soon after, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, leading her to become an advocate for mental health awareness.

“My mom isn’t just Princess Leia,” Lourd said. “She is Carrie Fisher. She was an incredible actress who infused her wit and strength into every character she played from her first role at only 16 years old inShampooto her last role inCatastrophe.”

To mark eight years since the actress' death, here’s a look at how Carrie Fisher died and the legacy she left behind.

When did Carrie Fisher die?

Amanda Edwards/WireImage

Fisher died on Dec. 27, 2016, at 8:55 a.m.

Family spokesman Simon Halls confirmed the actress' death in a statement to PEOPLE, issued on behalf of Fisher’s daughter, saying, “It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning.”

How did Carrie Fisher die?

Carrie Fisher signs copies of her book ‘The Princess Diarist’ at Barnes & Noble at The Grove on Nov. 28, 2016, in Los Angeles.Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Four days later, she died in the hospital.

What was Carrie Fisher’s cause of death?

Carrie Fisher attends ‘Gravity’ premiere and Opening Ceremony during The 70th Venice International Film Festival at Sala Grande on August 28, 2013 in Venice, Italy.Stefania D’Alessandro/WireImage

Stefania D’Alessandro/WireImage

In June 2017, a coroner’s report attributed Fisher’s death to sleep apnea and other undetermined factors. A few days later, a toxicology report revealed that she had cocaine, methadone, ethanol and opiates in her system when she died, though it was unclear if the drug use contributed to her cause of death.

Lourd addressed the report in a statement to PEOPLE at the time and said that her mom had “battled drug addiction and mental illness her entire life” and “ultimately died of it.”

How old was Carrie Fisher when she died?

Actress Carrie Fisher attends the 54th New York Film Festival ‘Bright Lights’ screening at Alice Tully Hall on Oct. 10, 2016, in New York City.CJ Rivera/FilmMagic

CJ Rivera/FilmMagic

Fisher was 60 years old when she died.

When did Carrie Fisher’s mom Debbie Reynolds die?

Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds arrive for Dame Elizabeth Taylor’s 75th birthday party at the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas on Feb. 27, 2007, in Henderson, Nev.Ethan Miller/Getty

Ethan Miller/Getty

Reynolds,Fisher’s mom, diedfrom astrokeon Dec. 28, 2016 — justone day after her daughter died. She was 84 years old.

Her son Todd toldTMZthat she was thinking of Fisher in her final moments, saying, “I miss her so much, I want to be with Carrie.”

One day earlier, the actress had thanked fans for embracing the “gifts and talents” of her “beloved and amazing daughter” in aFacebookpost.

“I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop," Reynolds wrote, signing the message, “Love Carries Mother.”

In March 2017, Todd spoke to the audience at apublic memorial serviceand revealed that his mother had decided to “change her plans a bit” after Fisher died.

“My mother always said to me, ‘I never want to go to my daughter’s funeral service. I would like to be buried with Carrie,' " he said. “I didn’t know she was going to leave us that very next day and when she looked at me to ask permission to leave, she said she wanted to be with Carrie, and she closed her eyes and went to sleep. It was a beautiful exit.”

How did the public react to Carrie Fisher’s death?

Kevork Djansezian/Getty

In the wake of Fisher’s death, messages of grief, love andsupport flooded social mediafrom friends and fans alike.

HerStar Warsfamily put out a jointstatementin which many of the creators and cast shared heartfelt tributes, with Lucasfilm presidentKathleen Kennedysaying, “She was Princess Leia to the world but a very special friend to all of us.”

Hamill, who played Fisher’s on-screen brother, also mourned her loss, writing, “It’s never easy to lose such a vital, irreplaceable member of the family, but this is downright heartbreaking.”

“Carrie was one-of-a-kind who belonged to us all – whether she liked it or not. She was OUR Princess, damn it, and the actress who played her blurred into one gorgeous, fiercely independent and ferociously funny, take-charge woman who took our collective breath away,” he continued. “She played such a crucial role in my professional and personal life, and both would have been far emptier without her.”

“I am grateful for the laughter, the wisdom, the kindness, and even the bratty, self-indulgent crap my beloved space-twin gave me through the years,” Hamill concluded.

Meanwhile,Billy Dee Williams, who played Lando Calrissian in the films, wrote onXthat he was “deeply saddened” to hear that Fisher had died.

“She was a dear friend, whom I greatly respected and admired,” he wrote. “The force is dark today!”

Carrie Fisher sits on the lap of Peter Mayhew in costume as Chewbacca on the set of ‘Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi’.CBS Photo Archive/Hulton Archive

CBS Photo Archive/Hulton Archive

Fisher’s costarPeter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca, wrote onX, “Carrie was the brightest light in every room she entered. I will miss her dearly.”

How did Carrie Fisher’s death affect theStar Warsmovies?

General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) in 2019’s ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.'.Lucasfilm Ltd.

Even after she died, Fisher continued to leave her mark on theStar Warsfranchise. In 2019’sStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, otherwise known as Episode IX, directorJ.J. Abramsgathered unused footage of her that he shot for Episode VII. With Lourd’s approval, he reworked the storyline so thatFisher could continue to be in itthrough the archived footage.

“We all just loved her,” Abrams said at a Star Wars Celebration convention in April 2019. “You don’t recast that part, andyou don’t have her disappear.”

What did Billie Lourd say about her mom and grandmother’s deaths?

Billie Lourd, Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds pose during TNT’s 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on Jan. 25, 2015, in Los Angeles.Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

A little over a week after Fisher and Reynolds died, Lourd addressed her mother and grandmother’s deaths publicly for the first time in anInstagrampost, writing, “Receiving all of your prayers and kind words over the past week has given me strength during a time I thought strength could not exist.”

In October 2024 — on what would have been her mother’s 68th birthday — Loud shared a tribute onInstagram, writing that 60 years old was “too damn young to die.”

“Some years my grief makes me feel the warmth of her love, some years it makes me angry, some years I feel numb but today when I woke up I just felt sad,” she wrote.

source: people.com