Carrie Fisher: The Tragic Death of the “Star Wars” Legend
She was born on October 21, 1956, in Burbank, CA, and she died on December 27, 2016, in Los Angeles. The cause: cardiac arrest, with contributing factors of sleep apnea and atherosclerosis. She was a talented actress and writer who became a pop culture phenomenon. Her name was Carrie Fisher, and this is her story.
A Closer Look
According to Biography.com, Carrie Fisher died of a “massive” heart attack, while TheGuardian.com reported she passed away in the hospital due to sleep apnea, a condition where the air doesn’t properly reach your lungs when you’re unconscious or asleep, and “a combination of other factors.”
Allegedly, there were also traces of cocaine and other drugs in her system, though it was not clear if these substances contributed to her demise.
The multi-talented performer, the daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, both entertainment icons in their own right, was honest in the public eye with regard to her struggles with mental illness and addiction from a young age.
Carrie began smoking marijuana at 13, and her use of cocaine dates back to when she was filming The Empire Strikes Back, the second-produced film in the Star Wars franchise in which she played Princess Leia.
