As if 2016 could not suck enough, the news broke today that Carrie Fisher passed away.
According to a statement issued on behalf of her daughter Billie Lourde, Fisher passed away at 8:55 a.m. this morning.
The actress, author, producer, and speaker had been in the hospital after suffering a cardiac episode on a plane from London to Los Angeles on Friday.
Fisher, who penned multiple books including the famed semi-autobiographical novel Postcards from the Edge, made her debut in 1969 on Debbie Reynolds and the Sound of Children , which starred her famous mother, Reynolds. Fisher would make her big screen debut in 1975 in the Warren Beatty comedy, Shampoo before landing the role of her lifetime — Princess Leia Organa in the 1978 classic, Star Wars. Fisher would go on to star in such films as The Blues Brothers, Hannah and her Sisters, The Burbs, Sleepless in Seattle, as well as numerous cameos and roles on television.
However, it was Star Wars which she’ll always be known for, and it’s the franchise that put her back into the spotlight with the release of The Force Awakens.
There’s no word how her passing will impact future installments of the film series.
