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R.I.P. Carrie Fisher. The 'Star Wars' actress, author and advocate dies at age 60.

She was so much more than Princess Leia.

December 27, 2016, 12:41PM By MeTV Staff

Image: Everett Collection

Carrie Fisher wasn't just an actress. She was Hollywood royalty. The daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher, she was destined for the stars. And she found them, quite literally, when at age 19 she joined the franchise that would change her life. As Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, she was no stereotypical damsel in distress. She was spunky, spirited and in charge. It turns out, the real-life Carrie was much like her counterpart.

Today, it is with sadness that we report that Carrie Fisher passed away this morning at age 60. People confirmed the news with a statement released by Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd.

"She was loved by the world and she will be missed by many," Lourd says in the statment. "Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers."

Fisher suffered a heart attack aboard a flight from London to Los Angeles on Friday. Yesterday, Debbie Reynolds, 84, tweeted a message of encouragement that her daughter was in stable condition but in the ICU.

In addition to the four times she played Princess Leia, including her most recent appearance in 2015's The Force Awakens, Fisher appeared in hit films like When Harry Met Sally, The Blues Brothers and Shampoo, and in an episode of Laverne and Shirley. She was also well regarded for her writing, including the novel Postcards From the Edge, which she based on her real-life struggles with drug addiction and mental illness. Fisher wrote the screenplay for the film version of Postcards, which starred Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine. She also had a secret career as a "script doctor," where she touched up the screenplays for films to improve plot and dialgoue. Some of the films she doctored include Hook, Sister Act, Lethal Weapon and The Wedding Singer.

She was revered for her sense of humor and blunt honesty about her struggles. She also famously advocated for bipolar disorder, which she suffered from, and rehabiltation.

Fisher was in the middle of promoting her most recent book, a memoir of published journals titled The Princess Diarist, at the time of her passing. She is survived by her 24-year-old daughter, brother Todd Fisher, mother Debbie Reynolds, half-sisters Tricia and actress Joely Fisher and her famous French bulldog, Gary.

MeTV will pay tribute to Carrie Fisher on Sunday, January 1 at 3:30PM | 2:30C with a special presentation of the Laverne & Shirley episode, "The Playboy Show," featuring Fisher as a guest star.

People we have lost in 2016

Carrie Fisher

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Image: Everett Collection

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Images: center, the Everett Collection; animation, Hanna-Barbera

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