Famed Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher died on Tuesday, according to reports. She was 60 years old.
Best known for her dynamic performance as Princess Leia in the intergalactic Star Wars films, Fisher suffered cardiac arrest aboard a flight on Friday.
Fisher’s death was announced by a family spokesperson in a statement to People magazine.
“She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly,” the statement read. “Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”
Fisher died at 8:55 a.m., according to the statement.
Fisher had been flying from London to Los Angeles when she suffered a heart attack. At what point of the flight she fell ill still remained unclear.
Fisher was hospitalized immediately after the flight had landed and had been placed in an intensive care unit. She remained in ICU on Sunday, when her mother, Debbie Reynolds, wrote on her Facebook account that her daughter was listed in “stable condition.”
“To all her friends and fans, I thank you all for your prayers and good wishes.”
Fisher’s co-star, Mark Hamill, who played the role of Luke Skywalker, had a short message for his followers upon hearing about his friend’s death:
no words #Devastated pic.twitter.com/R9Xo7IBKmh
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) December 27, 2016
Although Fisher appeared in dozens of films and TV shows, her role as Princess Leia, beginning with Star Wars: Episode IV, earned her iconic status. Fisher reprised the role to complete the trilogy and was reunited with the cast of the space epics last year in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, much to the delight of fans across the galaxy.
As news of her passing made its way across social media, fans poured in condolences. Among the tributes was the ubiquitous slogan from Star Wars: “May the force be with you.”
Other than stepping back into the iconic sci-fi universe that made her famous, Fisher had appeared in the comedy Catastrophe and was the voice of Angela in Family Guy.”
