Actress and writer Carrie Fisher dies at 60

December 27, 2016

, US actress and writer for page and screen, died this morning in a Los Angeles, California hospital after treatment following cardiac arrest. She was best known for the role of Princess Leia in the Star Wars movie franchise.

Fisher went into cardiac arrest on Friday during a commercial flight from London just before landing in Los Angeles. She was admitted to the UCLA Medical Center. She was reported to have remained stable over the weekend.

, Fisher's daughter, said, "She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly [...] Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers."

Though most famous for Star Wars, Fisher also appeared in such film and television productions as ', ', ', ', and . As a scriptwriter, Fisher contributed to ', ', and other films. Her most noted written work was the novel , made into a starring. Fisher's script received a nomination. Fisher was also known for her candid treatment of both substance abuse and bipolar disorder in both her fictional and autobiographical works and for her mental health awareness advocacy. She once described a manic episode as being "trapped inside a metaphor. Everything I looked at had a meaning. Everything was a warning or a sign. I was in a part of my brain I've only been in one time before." Her personal life included romantic relationships with, , , and , with whom she had her daughter, Billie. Former co-star reported via Twitter that he was "devastated."

Last month, in an interview with Rolling Stone, Fisher responded on whether she feared death: "No. I fear dying [...] Anything with pain associated with it, I don't like. I've been there for a couple of people when they were dying; it didn't look like fun. But if I was gonna do it, I'd want someone like me around. And I will be there!"

She was the eldest child of actress and stage performer and. Fisher is survived by her mother and daughter, brother Todd, and half-sisters Joely and Trisha Leigh Fisher.